Anything Could Happen
by GetPitchSlappedNeonTrees
Summary: After various failed attempts at writing an adventure novel, single mom and writer Nina Martin resorts to a long retreat. There, she meets an archaeologist, a scandalous heiress, a troubled couple, an aspiring fashion designer, an alien hunter, a doctor, a conceited football player, and a mysterious detective. They discover an ancient mystery that tangled everyone in its' web.
1. Chapter 1: House of Opportunities

**Anything Could Happen**

**[In no way does this relate to my other story; this is just an idea I had about another HoA story.]**

**Yay, my first AU story! I wouldn't abandon my other story, but I have a good feeling about this.**

**Summary: After various failed attempts at writing an adventure novel, single mom and writer Nina Martin resorts to a long retreat. There, she meets an archaeologist that takes an interest in her, a scandalous heiress, a troubled couple, an aspiring fashion designer, an alien hunter, a doctor, a conceited football player, and a mysterious detective. Together, they discover an ancient mystery that seems to have everyone tangled in its' complicated web.**

**Chapter 1—House of Opportunities**

Though smeared with coffee and peanut butter (Will's new favorite food of the month), Nina Martin handed in her manuscript to her publisher, Gwen Holbrook. Now, all she had to do was stand back and wait for Gwen's reply. Imagine her surprise when Gwen called back in less than a day, rejecting her latest idea for an adventure novel.

"Sorry, Nins; you know I love you, but you just can't write an adventure novel," Gwen sighed. Even though Nina couldn't see her, she could tell by her tone that Gwen was relaxing in her office garden, where she imported sand from the beaches of Saint-Tropez.

"What, why? You didn't like it?" Nina asked as she poured Will a glass of milk. "I thought it was creative!"

"Well, it is, but the protagonist is weak-minded. And the concept was, too. A search for a key that opened Pandora's Box? Come on! Where did she get the box?"

"It's stated pretty clear; from her deceased mother," Nina practically shouted, slamming Will's cup down with a bit more force than was needed. Milk quickly dripped down the cabinets and onto the floor. Nina groaned as her six year old son stifled his giggles. She put the phone on speakerphone as she cleaned up the spill.

"Nins, you are a fantastic writer. You have four bestsellers under your belt—" Gwen was interrupted, but she was expecting the dirty blonde's reply; she wanted to write an—

"Sure, I can write romance, but I want to write an adventure novel. I want to widen my horizon and not be known as the younger and female Nicholas Sparks," Nina repeated.

"Nina, you have a beautiful son and an even more beautiful penthouse in New York. What else do you need? Listen, the company isn't expecting another installment until summer, so you can go on vacation."

"Vacation?" Nina asked. The word sounded weird in her mouth; she had never taken a vacation in her life. She was too busy in life.

"Yeah; in fact, I know a retreat in the Hamptons. It's kid-friendly and very relaxing; hey, maybe you can leave the monster there and snag a boyfriend! Speaking of that, I got an angry call from Rick. You stood him up?!"

"It wasn't intentional! Will had a baseball game and got in a fight. I had to stay behind and talk to the annoying kid's mother. Geez, so much Botox these days!" Nina rolled her eyes.

"Nina, you need to stop worrying about everyone else and start worrying about yourself," Gwen sincerely stated. There was a loud shout and Gwen giggled. "Got to go; my, uh, lunch is here. And he's not wearing anything, but—"

"Gwen, you're on speakerphone and my son is in the room," Nina warned, taking her off of speakerphone. Will was now staring at her, a curious look on his face.

"Who cares?! Will, he isn't wearing anything! Bye!" Gwen shouted, abruptly hanging up.

Nina shook her head, but she was smiling. Gwen and Will had this odd relationship: Gwen hated Will for putting gum in her hair and Will hated her for taking away his mommy. Though it was slightly sad on Will's behalf, it didn't keep Nina from laughing at Gwen's pettiness.

"Mommy, I'm going to take a nap." Will yawned as he got up from the table, forgetting his freshly poured glass of milk.

Nina laughed. "Don't you want your milk?"

"Milk is overrated; apple juice is the stuff, now," Will replied as he walked to his room, his curly dark hair flopping everywhere.

He was looking more like his father every day, Nina thought as she wistfully stared after him. Though he had her green eyes, he inherited his father's curls, dark hair, pale skin, tall stature, and freckles.

Rob Harp was nice for the four years they dated and for the two years that they were married. She actually thought he was the one. But he turned abusive and stayed out late. She tried to leave, but he threatened Nina. It was like a nonstop cycle.

He wanted a kid, but didn't want to physically 'do it' with Nina, so he was a donor. She was pregnant, but wasn't happy. She devised a plan to get out of the relationship. She filmed him hurting her and filed a restraining order and divorce. Rob was arrested, but was bailed out by his family. His family supported him, calling Nina the monster in their relationship. Whether they knew that he was a drunk and abusive man was unclear. But Nina divorced his ass and got full custody of her son. He didn't even fight for his son. Rob just simply moved on and married another unsuspecting woman.

Maybe that was the reason why Nina only wrote romance novels. Since she was so deprived of her own romance, she could live through the emotions of the characters she created.

Sure, she went on a few dates, but she couldn't feel _it_—love. Maybe it's because she had never felt love, but when you're with the right person, you should finally be able to describe love. And Nina hadn't found the right person yet.

Nina was snapped out of her thoughts when her computer pinged; it was an e-mail from Gwen.

_I already booked a cabin for you and Will. You leave tomorrow; trust me, Nins. I think you're going to find something there. Whether it's a boyfriend or an adventure novel concept; I don't know! But enjoy your time there. Oh, and I did withdraw the down payment on the cabin from your account…sorry! The company will only pay for your rental car, dinner, and other shit! Good luck! _

_-Gwen_

_P.S. I might have to join you if my newest boyfriend is found guilty of murder. Love ya!_

Nina didn't know if she should slap, hug, or worry for her friend. Instead, Nina sighed and started to pack.

* * *

Fabian Rutter had tons of free time. Since there was only one season when he could do his field of work, he often spent time in cafes and libraries. But he didn't expect his company to give him an extended vacation; especially one that extended into work season.

"But, sir," Fabian said, staring at his boss. "Season starts in a few weeks and you want me to take a three month vacation in the Hamptons?"

His boss, Gerald, uncomfortably loosened his tie. "Fabian, the company really likes you, but…we think you should take a break. Let rookies and newbies get a try at finding treasure."

"But it's doubtful that they'll find treasure; you'll just be wasting your money. It takes years of research and training," Fabian argued; he could feel a migraine coming on.

"Well, not everyone had a famous explorer and archaeologist as their father. Not everyone is as skilled as you; everyone has to learn somehow." Then, Gerald's tone softened a bit. "I know you're trying to fulfill your father's legacy, but you are only wearing yourself out. By going on this retreat, you will be far away from this stressful job. Besides," Gerald chuckled, "I've told the librarians at the retreat to not let you stay in the library for more than an hour."

"I understand your concern, Gerald, but—"

"No buts," Gerald shouted. He reddened when he noticed his context of words. He lowered his voice. "You leave tomorrow; I would get packing. And cancel that date with Quinn."

"Uh," Fabian stammered. "I actually canceled…yesterday," He said, embarrassed he canceled on his boss's daughter.

Gerald sighed, "Oh, it is okay. She probably wouldn't show up for it, anyways."

* * *

Patricia Williamson-Sweet had an okay life. She had an okay job, an okay house, and an okay husband. After having four miscarriages, their marriage had simply dwindled. She missed nights of amazing and exciting sex, going to Sick Puppies concerts, prank-calling each other at work, and simply being in each other's arms. But life just had to come and kick them in the ass.

It wasn't like it was a loveless marriage, but something was missing. Imagine her surprise when her own mother and father "suddenly" couldn't make it to a lovely vacation retreat; instead, they gave their daughter and son-in-law three months away from work and the city. Her mother even noted that lack of stress and pressure could help her get pregnant.

She just hoped that everything would return to the way it was before.

* * *

**Should I continue? I have about a 1/3 of the next chapter written up; if enough people like it, I'll post it. If not, I'll delete the story.**

**-Morgan, xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2: House of Housemates

**Anything Could Happen**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HOA.**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Everyone is in this story is British, except for Gwen, Nina, Eddie (he has dual citizenship, though), and Will. But everyone, except for Alfie, lives in America.**

**A few storylines from the actual series will be figured in (ex. Paragon & Osirian). But I will make my own storylines, since they are adults and more mature than in the TV series.**

**Sorry this chapter took so long; I had an academic decathlon competition. My team (I was captain!) placed third in Social Studies!**

**Chapter 2—House of Housemates**

At 5 A.M., Nina practically dragged a sleepy Will out of bed. She called the car around, gave Will a pillow, and began the travel to the retreat. Thankfully, Will inherited Nina's quiet snoring, opposed to his father's obnoxious snoring.

So, Nina had time to think; what would she do on the trip? Will would try to keep away from his uncool mom and spend time in the pool and kids' area. She probably wouldn't fit in with the other moms; she got married and pregnant fresh out of college, right at 22. How many moms would be there with a six year old and only be 28?

She could only trust that Gwen didn't room her with complete weirdos.

* * *

A redhead entered the two-story house, carrying Louis Vuitton suitcases. Her arms cramped; she wasn't used to carrying anything over two pounds. Her high heels sounded against the floor, catching the attention of the other habitant of the house/cabin.

A woman with auburn hair stopped in front of her. "Who are you? A housemate? God, this place has to be kidding!"

The redhead shushed her. "I know the reason they bunked me with you," She said, trying to make her voice sound raspy. "Is anyone else here yet?"

"No, my idiotic husband is out. Now, speak."

The "redhead" pulled off her wig, revealing blonde hair. Heiress Amber Millington, former Serene Highness of Monaco was right in front of her. "I am Amber Millington, former Princess of Monaco."

The auburn-haired woman gasped. "Oh right! You're the girl that married the prince and a day later, you were found in bed with bed with a servant!" And the woman started to laugh.

"Glad my messed up life is such a joy to you," Amber hissed, pushing past her. "I hope we never speak to each other again. You cannot reveal my identity to anyone outside of this house or to the media. If you do, there will be severe consequences."

The woman crossed her arms. "I didn't sign an agreement!" She stubbornly replied.

"Oh, yes, you did. When you signed the form and paid the down payment, that was stating that you had to abide by the rules." And Amber sauntered away, leaving a cursing and furious woman behind her.

* * *

"Well, this is it," Alfie Lewis whispered into his tape recorder. "My last diary before I enter my…vacation. Hopefully, the aliens won't discover my home and steal my other entries! I am Alfie Lewis, signing off."

Exactly how many people have Alfie's job? None; he's a self-employed alien hunter. Sure, he hadn't found alien remains, but he found evidence that was promising. His parents wanted him to take a vacation, so he chose a cabin/house retreat in the Hamptons. It wasn't his style, but his family insisted.

So, he left most of his equipment back in his apartment in England. But he smuggled in one tape recorder, a warning device, and a concoction for warding off aliens and zombies.

He was hiking to the cabin when a huge limo sped past him, almost hitting him on the side. The trails weren't meant for cars, only for people walking or jogging; who was this buffoon? Alfie shouted after the limo, mumbling to himself about conceited assholes and how they're destroying the planet.

Bless Alfie's long legs, because he ended up at the cabin a few moments after the limo. He walked straight up to the window, knocking on the tinted glass. "Excuse me!" He shouted; the limo had dubstep blaring from inside.

The window rolled down to reveal a blonde gentleman. His head was moving to the beat, looking like a teen, not like an adult of sorts. "Whaa?" He said.

Alfie shook his head in surprise. Apparently, he was too stupid to pronounce the 'T' syllable. "You almost ran me over! Can't you read the signs! Don't drive on trails! Obviously, you can't, because you can't pronounce a word that has more than three syllables!"

"Chill out, mate," He said, snapping his fingers. He handed him a bundle of bills. "A little for your troubles, because honestly," The man paused, examining Alfie. "You need help if you dress like that."

Alfie fumed. "Excuse me, but this high-quality alien hunter gear! And I don't need your stupid money!" Alfie shouted, shoving the bills back at his face.

"_Alien_ hunter gear?!" And the gentleman laughed, throwing his head back. "You're more stupid than I thought you were!"

"And you are?" Alfie questioned, wanting to punch this guy in the face.

He opened the door. "Mick Campbell."

And Alfie wanted to run away; he recognized his name from the matches his father regularly attended. Mick was the star player of England's best football team.

"I reckon you know me," Mick smirked. "Well, take my bags, will you?"

"I'm not a bellhop," Alfie said, deadpanned.

"Really?" Mick sarcastically said. "I wouldn't have known from looking at your clothing."

* * *

"Trixie!" Eddie called as he entered the house. "Trixie!" He repeated.

Patricia perked up. He hadn't called her 'Trixie' in over a year. Maybe everything was fixing itself! She raced downstairs to find him…but he wasn't alone. A little boy with dark curly hair and green eyes stood next to him, looking nervous. "Who is this?" Patricia asked, feeling sorry for him.

"This is Will," Eddie gestured. "His mom sprained her ankle while they were hiking up there. While she gets it bandaged, I said I would look out for Will here," He laughed, ruffling Will's curls, earning a laugh from the boy. "After all, we are roomed in the same house."

"Do you do that for all girls?" Patricia asked, a bit jealous.

Eddie looked confused. "No, I found the kid and his mother. She was hurt badly. I volunteered to watch him. I also told her that you would help."

Patricia was taken aback. "Um, sure," She stammered, not knowing how to react. She smiled. "I'd like that."

"Are you guys married? If you are, your wife is very pretty," Will said as he smiled at Patricia. Somehow, she found herself smiling back.

"Can we watch Ridiculousness?" Will asked, pointing to a flat-screen TV.

Patricia was surprised. He didn't look like the type of kid that watched Ridiculousness. He wore a nice polo, khakis, and a preppy kind of shoes. "Sure, but do you think your mom would let you?"

Will put a finger to his lips. "Shh...she might ground you too."

* * *

_Well, this was a bust, Nina thought miserably. _When she learned that they had to hike to their cabin/house, Nina was so concerned about Will's safety. But instead, she tripped over a twig, falling hard on her ankle. A blonde-haired man spotted her a minute later after hearing Will ask, "Mom, what was that?" He took her to the infirmary and offered to look after Will, since they were rooming at the same cabin. Though she was dubious, she had some trust in him. Something just told her to trust him.

The nurse wrapped up her ankle, gave her some painkillers, and told her to lay down for a half-an-hour. But she couldn't sleep, knowing she was away from her son. So she listened to the sounds of the office. Suddenly, a loud voice boomed from the hallway.

"Everyone out!" A commanding and British voice shouted, opening doors and shooing people out of the lobby, spa, pool, and library. But he didn't check the nurse's office. Nina ignored her throbbing ankle and scooted closer to the door.

"We need to dispose of the bodies," The voice whispered. "I can't hold them for any longer." Nina recognized the voice as the nurse.

"Where? The old cabin?" The loud voice continued.

"No, Alan rented it out. Some rotten rich people are staying there. Maybe we could relocate?"

"We're booked in all cabins," A new voice added. "And we can't give their money back; they insisted on no refunds."

"Well, we're growing desperate. The bodies will soon decompose," The nurse whispered, growing worried.

"Put them in the tanks; that should slow it down," The British voice commanded. "…Wait, I forgot to check the nurse's office," He whispered.

"I had a client, but I don't know if she left or not," The nurse replied as footfalls sounded near the door.

Nina's eyes widened as she looked for a way out. She spotted an emergency door in the back of the office. She hobbled towards it, praying it wouldn't sound. The doorknob began to turn as she pushed open the door.

Bells and alarms sounded, but she dove for cover. She ducked behind a SUV, holding her breath.

"Who's there?" A voice shouted. Shaking, Nina looked at the rearview mirror and spotted an older man. His face was red with anger.

"Do you see anyone?" The nurse asked, looking around. Her once innocent face was twisted and manipulative. She was also holding a gun, her finger on the trigger.

"No, but someone was there. Do you still have the cameras installed in your office?" He asked.

Nina prayed that she didn't.

"No," The nurse answered. "Alan said it was illegal to have cameras in offices. Victor, I think you're overreacting. Maybe the wind blew the door open?"

Victor cursed. "Don't be silly, Vera. Look at the floor; there are marks. Someone was wearing sneakers and ran away. We need to find out who overheard us…and dispose of them."

Nina shivered; they wanted to find her and kill her. That was a lovely way to welcome a guest, wasn't it?

Victor and Vera quickly left, but their threats weren't unheard. Nina shakily stood, but found that she wasn't alone. Deep blue eyes curiously studied her.

"You heard everything, right?" Nina asked, unsure of whether it was a good or bad thing.

* * *

Fabian knew it was a bad day when he opened his eyes and noticed that his plane left in a half-an-hour. And he lived about twenty minutes away. He set a reminder on his iPhone, but the power went out and his iPhone died.

So he rushed and barely made it. But it turned out that plane was delayed, due to a lengthy crossover. Fabian had about three hours to kill in the airport, along with college frat boys. They were filming themselves doing stupid things, hoping to go viral. For example, one boy attempted to jump over a row of chairs. It didn't go so well.

Sooner or later, they boarded the plane. The idiotic frat guys weren't near him, but an annoying kid was seated behind him. He kicked the back of Fabian's seat for nearly four hours. He politely asked him to stop, but he retorted with a snotty response.

And if that hellish plane ride wasn't terrible enough, Fabian's rental car was mixed up and he had to catch a train shuttle to the Hamptons. The train was nice enough; it had wine (which he almost drank two glasses of) and Wi-Fi. But the quiet cart was full, so he had to take the normal cart. And they weren't quiet.

Thankful, most of the guests stayed at hotels, which were far away from the retreat. Fabian had the entire cart to himself, which was the end to his chaotic day. Or so he thought…

The train let off directly at the retreat. But the office was dark, and no one was there. Fabian went around to the back of the building, where he heard voices. He peeked around the corner and saw a man and woman. The woman had a gun, and they were looking for someone. He flattened himself against the wall, hoping they couldn't see him. But from his angle, he saw a woman crouching behind a car. She was frightened; was that the person they were looking for?

Quickly, the man and woman left. The woman behind the car made sure it was safe before she stood. Fabian took that as his cue.

"You heard everything, right?" She asked, her hands shaking. Her ankle was heavily wrapped. Her tank top was stained with dirt, as if she fell down a ditch. Her shorts showed off her tanned and long legs. Her lips were pursued seductively—

Okay, he found her very, very attractive. But he needed to focus on her, not her features.

"Yes," He answered. "What happened? Were those people looking for you?" He asked.

"Let's get away from here, Mr…" She answered, trailing off.

"Fabian Rutter," Fabian introduced himself.

"Nina Martin," She answered, quickly grabbing his hand and leading him down a path.


	3. Chapter 3: House of Bonding

**Anything Could Happen**

**[Please, please vote on my page! I'm going to start off with friendships, but romance has to blossom sometime…I only had about 3 voters! I need answers! You have to vote for two couples! You can either vote for Jeroy and Mickra. Or you could vote for Jara and Moy.]**

**[Also, I've made Amber a bit more stable than in the TV show. She is more mature, and she's handled a lot. I mean, royal families can be bitches when it comes to divorces!]**

**[This chapter took a long time. I don't know why! After I woke up and made breakfast for my family, I went upstairs and checked my Word documents. I only had about 500 words typed for this story. I have been procrastinating (I don't know why!), so I forced myself to sit down and write. When I was done, I was quite satisfied with this chapter! Enjoy!]**

**Chapter 3—House of Bonding**

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Joy Mercer said as she studied the long and winding trails. Then, she stared down at her Gucci wedges that took almost six months to pay off. The retreat wanted her to hike a half a mile in trails that were covered in dirt? And in four-inch wedges? Oh, there would be hell to pay.

After her latest attempt at getting into the fashion industry failed, her parents shipped her off to the Hamptons for a long and needed vacation. Her mother was a retired model and could get Joy a fashion line with a snap of her manicured fingers. But Joy wanted to achieve without her family's help. That's why she moved out right after she graduated from a New York boarding school. She bought a drab loft in East Village and lived off of Ramen Noodles and tap water. She barely had enough to cover rent, since she interned at fashion magazine and was mostly tossed aside.

But she was sure that she would strike gold; her talent went beyond most amateur designers. She just needed…well, a sponsor or something.

* * *

Like most geniuses of the generation, he was borderline crazy. Sorry that it sounded pompous, but it was righteously true. Jerome Clarke was a detective, working in the crime-infested New York. He could solve a cold case in a matter of days or hours, opposed to the years or months it took other detectives.

Though he was rude and social handicapped, he didn't bite. He was just anxious about life. So when he stumbled across an attractive, petite brunette, whom was on the ground and sobbing about shoes, he didn't know what to think.

"Hello?" He called as she looked up.

"Just leave me here to die!" She wailed as she threw her arms up to the sky. She returned to crying about her shoes. The expensive shoes looked practically buried in dirt—guess she didn't get the memo.

"Okay, so either you're drunk or some type of psychopath," Jerome reckoned. Then, he spied her key; it matched his. "And we belong to the same house; lovely," He muttered.

"Walk me there?" She sniffled, nearly blowing snot everywhere.

Jerome opened his mouth to respond. "No." And he abruptly sped away. "Godspeed!" He shouted over his shoulder, leaping over twigs and fallen branches.

Joy just shook her head. Though he was very attractive, he was a very weird man.

* * *

_Being one of the top rated surgeons/doctors in Great Britain was—quite frankly—a royal pain in the ass, Mara Jaffray thought as the plane glided through the air._ Not only did it increase her cell phone bill, but it stressed her out and made her a walking skeleton.

So her parents had an intervention. They sent her to a three-month retreat in the Hamptons; how silly was that? While she sat at the poolside drinking fancy wines, people were dying without her assistance.

But majority ruled and it was two against one. Not that Mara had any friends that would've rallied for her; she was so involved in med school that she didn't even make friends. That came back to bite her in the ass, didn't it?

She sighed, opening her laptop. Her parents sent her an e-mail; it was a brochure of the stupid retreat. She absentmindedly glanced through it, unimpressed. The pool was sparkling with perfection, and tanned and gorgeous people lounged under umbrellas. Their smiles were exuberant and perfect.

Well, Mara wasn't perfect. She wasn't supermodel thin or extra curvy like the women on the cover. Nor did she have blonde or red hair, complete with blue eyes. She was just…Mara.

* * *

"I think something sinister is going on—maybe murder," Nina suggested as she and Fabian hiked through the luscious woods.

"Let's start with why you were hiding behind a car," He asked, smiling a bit and looking down. He couldn't stand to look into her eyes; her eyes were an interesting and beautiful shade of green. If he started to look into her eyes, he wouldn't stop staring at her.

"Well, I twisted my ankle and had to go to the infirmary," She blushed as if she remembered something embarrassing. "I was resting, but a loud voice shooed everyone out of the lobby. He forgot to check the nurse's office. The nurse, Vera, started talking about disposing bodies. An older man, Victor, wanted to throw the bodies into some tanks. Then, they started towards the nurse's office, where I was hiding and listening. I took cover outside as they threatened to find and kill me."

"Then, I found you," Fabian blurted out, blushing. Oh god, he felt like a teenager! "I-I-I mean, I heard everything after that…" No wonder his schoolmates called him Stutter Rutter back in high school.

Nina smiled. "Do you think we should tell the police or the manager?" She asked.

"I think we should start with the manager," Fabian noted. "I think there is a welcome dinner tonight. Maybe we'll find him and tell him?"

Nina nodded. "Where are you rooming?"

Fabian pulled his key out of his bag. He nearly dropped it, but he caught it, blushing a bit. "Um, the Frobisher-Smythe cabin."

"Oh, that's where my son and I are rooming!" Nina exclaimed, smiling.

He was so distracted by her beautiful smile that he nearly forgot what she just said. "Son?" He asked, nearly tripping over a twig.

"Oh, are you okay?" Nina asked, steadying him. But she was oblivious to his shock.

He felt sparks where she touched his arm, but he couldn't act on his feelings. She was probably a married woman, and he didn't want to get his face smashed in. "I'm good," He said, gently moving her fingers from his arm.

Nina displayed a look of confusion and hurt, but she smiled again. "Well, we're here. I'll see you at the dinner, okay?"

He nodded, his lips pressed into a fake smile.

* * *

Nina fell back onto her bed. For some reason, she felt upset when he removed her fingers from his arm. Was he turned off because she mentioned Will?

Wait, why was she thinking about him? She wasn't in love or interested in him…or his deep blue eyes, dark hair, and secretly satisfying muscles. Okay, maybe she was interested.

But Will was number one in her life. Will didn't have a father, so she needed to be the best parent times two.

Her door slammed open. A blonde woman stood in her doorway.

"Can I help you?" Nina asked, sitting up. Then, she recognized the woman from CNN. "Are you—"

"Yes, I'm former Serene Highness of Monaco," The woman sighed. "And you are?"

"Nina Martin," Nina stood up. "My son is Will and he's downstairs—"

The woman interrupted her by wrapping her arms around Nina and shrieking. "Oh, I already know who you are! You're my favorite writer! Oh my god, I loved your latest book!"

"Oh, well, thank you!" Nina replied, confused as she continued hugging her. "I'm sorry, but I didn't get your name."

"Amber Millington," Amber flashed a brilliant smile. "And I'm here to make everyone's life better. Follow me!"

Nina followed Amber downstairs and into the living room. Eddie, the guy that found her and offered to take care of Will, was currently playing a board game with a pretty auburn-haired woman. Will was playing a video game on his DSi. A blonde-haired gentleman and a petite brunette sat on a couch, glaring at each other. A woman with dark hair sat a stool, reading something on her laptop. Two guys—one with blonde hair and the other with dark hair—were fighting over the remote to the flat-screen TV. Last, but not least, Fabian was seating on a recliner. He was reading a thick book that had artifacts on the cover. But he looked up as soon as Nina and Amber entered. She thought she saw him smile at her. But he almost immediately returned to his book.

Nina's heart sank, but she walked over to her son. She sat next to him, ruffling his curls. He half-heartedly swatted at her hand, but she laughed and continued messing with his curls.

Amber clapped her hands, earning the attention of everyone. "I have an announcement! I know most of you are disappointed that you weren't roomed with someone you know or like. Well, sorry, but I bribed the assistant manager to room us together!"

"Why?" The auburn-haired woman asked, looking up from her game.

"Well, I had my PI observe everyone for two weeks. I deemed all of you trustworthy and a bit damaged. So, to get my mind off of my recent divorce, I want to help everyone!"

"I don't mean to burst your bubble, but we don't need your help," The woman replied.

"Well, you can't get pregnant and your marriage is semi-over," Amber smirked, twirling a lock of hair. But then, her face softened. "Though I can't get a husband, I want to prevent a divorce. Though you and Eddie argue most of the time, I can see that you two love each other. And that's something I'll never get."

It was silent as everyone took in Amber's knowledge. Maybe she wasn't as rude as they thought so…

"Okay," Patricia whispered. It was so quiet that only Eddie and Amber heard her. Amber softly smiled as Eddie kissed Patricia's cheek.

The moment was ruined when Amber's iPhone beeped. "Oh, we have to get ready for the dinner!" Amber clapped her hands as everyone groaned. The doorbell rang, and she dashed towards the door. Outside, a man with two racks of clothing frowned. She squealed, received the clothes, and slammed the door in his face.

With a bit of trouble, she pulled the racks into the living room. "And here are your outfits for the evening," Amber grinned.

"Wait, how do you know our measurements?" The woman with dark hair asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My PI is amazing," Amber curtly answered. "Now, I've labeled your outfits. Now, go and get dressed! The car arrives in an hour! Hurry!"

One of the blonde guys sauntered up to Amber. "I'm Mick Campbell," He flashed a smile at her. "I think I've sprained my wrist. Can you help me get dressed?"

Amber rolled her eyes, a disgusted expression on her face. "No," She said, shoving his outfit into his arms. "Slimeball…"

* * *

Nearly a half-an-hour later, Mara was ready for the dinner. She wasn't used to being dressed in such luxurious dresses. Sure, she was from a rich family. But she steered clear of special occasions. Surgeons had to be ready for anything; they didn't have time to take off earrings or undo ornate braids.

Mara walked downstairs, already feeling uncomfortable. Amber—nice girl, by the way—had dressed her in a pristine, white dress **(1)**. It fell a few inches above her knee, showing off quite a bit of leg. She also stumbled in matching heels, feeling awkward and clumsy. Her naturally curly hair fell around her shoulders; her lack of braiding or straightening frustrated her to the point where she just brushed her hair.

"Well, don't you look awkward?" A voice said, voicing her thoughts.

She turned to see a blonde gentleman dressed in a gray suit. He was seated in the shadows, drinking some type of alcoholic drink.

"I'm not used to dressing in such elaborate gowns," Mara retorted, fidgeting with the hemline, wishing it to extend lower.

"Well, good luck at the dinner," The man smirked in the darkness.

"What do you mean?" Mara asked, taking a seat across from him.

"Well, you have natural beauty. You don't need to embellish yourself by putting on makeup and straightening your hair. Most women are jealous of that. Don't be surprised when the claws come out."

Mara nervously laughed. "And what is your name?"

"Clarke. Jerome Clarke," He hesitantly responded.

"Jaffray. Mara Jaffray," She said, copying his introduction. Mara saw a hint of smile in the darkness.

A petite brunette marched down the stairs, her hair flying. She was wearing a ruffled, yellow dress that hit right at the knee **(2)**. Her skin tone complimented the dress. Makeup was applied perfectly. She walked confidently in her heels. Her glossy hair was in ringlets and fell down her back.

Mara glanced down at her own dress, feeling of lesser value than the brunette. Damn self-esteem.

"And you!" The brunette yelled, spying Jerome in the darkness. "You left me in the forest! I could have been eaten by a bear!"

"Yes, because a bear would eat a tiny girl that was crying over shoes," Jerome dryly answered.

The brunette crossed her arms. "I'm not leaving without an apology," She said, stomping her foot.

"Well, you'll be waiting for a long time. I never apologize to anyone," Jerome smirked.

Mara leaned back. Even though she felt attracted to Jerome, she could tell that the brunette also felt drawn to him. She couldn't hold a candle to the stunning brunette.

"Well, Miss…" He trailed off, not knowing her name.

"Joy Mercer," The brunette stated.

Even her name was better than hers.

* * *

"Zip me up?" Patricia asked Eddie as they got dressed. That PI had done his work right and reported to Amber that Patricia loved dark clothing and didn't like to draw attention. So Amber got her an off-the-shoulder dark red dress that fell below her knee. It was everything Patricia was: dark, subtle, and simple. "We have to find some way to thank her," Patricia said, referring to the blonde.

Eddie hummed in agreement as he kissed her shoulder. "Do you really think we were going to get a divorce?" He asked, looking at her.

"A few months ago, I thought so," Patricia whispered. "I thought you were mad at me for having another miscarriage."

"Mad?" Eddie said, turning her around. "I was never mad at you."

Patricia shook her head. "Well, we were both at work a lot—God, I hate crying," She laughed without humor. Thank the heavens for waterproof mascara.

"Trixie, you know I have to pay for—"

"It's okay," Patricia said, sending him a wobbly smile.

Eddie kissed her quickly, before he left her to get dressed. But he forgot his phone. Moments later, his phone buzzed. Patricia picked it up, thinking that it was work or his mother.

But it was _her_.

* * *

Nina adjusted her son's tie. "Don't forget to thank Amber," She reminded him.

"I won't!" He said, sending a toothy smile in her direction.

"Good," She grinned. "Now, go and knock them dead, handsome!"

Will ran downstairs, his signature curly hair flopping. Amber dressed him in gray suit that made his green eyes pop out. It was depressing that a PI and a former princess knew how to dress her son better than his mother.

And as for the mother? Well, Amber must have known that Nina's last special occasion was her wedding. That's why she steered clear of long, flowing white gowns. Instead, she picked a beautiful, floor-length and charcoal-gray lace gown **(3)**. The gown certainly accented her long, dirty blonde hair and green eyes. But the dress was symbolic. It basically represented who she was. She was imperfect.

"Nina!" Amber's voice floated upstairs and snapped Nina out of her thoughts. Nina grabbed her matching heels and quickly slid them on. _Oh, that's why I've never wore heels, Nina thought as she winced._ As she neared the balcony and the stairs, she overheard Will loudly speaking.

"…And I don't want any of you looking at my mom that way! Got it? I know she looks amazing and beautiful, but that's just creepy!" Will threatened, eyeing everyone. She saw everyone stifling their laughter.

"Okay, Captain Squirt," A guy with dark hair, Alfie, ruffled Will's hair.

"Will, stop threatening our housemates," Nina teased from the balcony. Everyone glanced up, smiling. And then, Nina spotted Fabian.

He was dressed in a dark blue shirt that matched his eyes perfectly. A dark suit accompanied the shirt, never taking the attention away from the shirt and his eyes.

And he was looking at her. Fabian had to practically tear his eyes away. She found herself blushing as she descended the stairs.

A blonde guy with a smug smile approached her. "Mick Campbell. So, where's your other?" He asked, eyeing her up and down. Will nearly lunged at him, but Alfie held him and his tiny fists back.

"Huh?" Nina asked, confused.

"Your husband; is he here? Or do I have the honor of escorting you to dinner?" Mick asked.

"I divorced my husband nearly six years ago," Nina stated. "And I'm being escorted by my very handsome son," She smiled.

"Actually," Will started, looking very mischievous. "I'll be escorting Miss Amber Millington," He said, gesturing to Amber.

Amber was wearing a strapless, red gown **(4)**. Her blonde hair was straightened and piled on top of her hair in a seductive bun. "Sure," She smirked, taking Will's outstretched arm. They led the way to the limo, which would be driving them to the dinner.

Mick shrugged, following a woman with dark hair outside. Everyone else following, pairing up.

And there were two.

"You look beautiful," Fabian finally said, breaking the silence.

"Thank you," Nina smiled.

Fabian held his arm out. "Shall we?"

Nina accepted his arm as they walked outside, closing the door.

* * *

**[Kind of a resolute ending; the next chapter will deal with the dinner and the semi-formation of Sibuna. And Will and Amber are Fabina shippers—so early on in the story!]**

**[1] If any of my readers watch Gossip Girl, Mara's dress is Blair's dress from season 2's White Party. Blairs-WHITE-PARTY-DRESS-1864634 **

**[2] Another Gossip Girl reference: Joy's dress is Jenny's yellow dress from season 1. fashion-tips/how-to-dress-like-jenny-humphrey/ (Scroll down to Bright Colors)**

**[3] Another GG reference: Nina's gown is Serena's iconic gray gown from season 4. That dress is just…so beautiful. *Tear slips down face* . **

**[4] Another GG reference: Amber's gown is Blair's gown from her first date with Louis in season 4. search/label/4x02%20Double%20Identity **

**[And if you don't know this already, most of the fashion from my stories is inspired by Gossip Girl.]**

**[So, what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Can't see the links for the dresses? Any guesses for the next chapter? Let me know in the reviews! And if you can't see the dresses, PM me!]**

**-Morgan, xoxo**


	4. Chapter 4: House of Discoveries

**Anything Could Happen**

**[Update on poll: Thanks for voting! Because I've blocked seeing the results (I want the results to be a surprise!), I'll give you an update on who's currently winning. **

**First place: Jeroy is leading with 41% of your love.**

**Tied at Second place: Jara and Mickra with 25% of the vote.***

**Third place: Moy with 8% of your love.**

**If you're an anon and you leave a review stating your preferred couple, I'll count it in the vote! For example, Megs and other guests, I'll count your votes in the end.**

***Though they are tied, Mickra would happen if Jeroy happens.**

**Chapter 4—House of Discoveries**

As Nina and Fabian walked towards the car, the window rolled down to reveal Amber's and Will's gleaming faces. "Sorry, but it's full in here! You're going to have to take the small car!" She said, pointing to a car that was parked behind the limo.

"Hey! It isn't full in here—"

Amber interrupted Patricia by throwing the keys at Fabian and rolling the window up. A smile was on her face.

"Uh, I guess I'll drive," Fabian nervously laughed as they walked towards the car. He opened the door for her and helped her into the car.

It was silent as they carefully followed the limo. Nina swore she saw Amber and Will giving each other high-fives. It was best that she didn't know.

To break the ice, both of them started with a question.

"Why were you avoiding me?" Nina asked at the same time that Fabian also asked a question.

"Why didn't you tell me about your ex-husband?" Fabian asked.

They both blushed, before Nina said, "You first."

Fabian sighed, focusing on the road ahead of them. "When you mentioned a son, I thought you had a husband. And I thought he would be the meaty, jealous type of husband; I prefer having a face," He laughed, blushing a bit.

"Well, he was the meaty, arrogant type," Nina admitted. "I don't know whether it upsets me or Will more."

"Do you want to talk about him?" Fabian asked.

Nina contemplated it. She never mentioned Rob in any interviews; she only vented to Gwen about her pig of an ex-husband. But she wanted to trust Fabian. Nina knew she could trust him; he wouldn't criticize her.

"His name was Rob Harp. I was a freshman at Columbia in New York. He was a charming upperclassman. He offered to show me the ropes of college. A few drinks later, he got my virginity," Nina laughed without humor.

Fabian's hands on the steering wheel tightened, but she continued.

"He made it look like he had actual feelings for me. So we dated for four years. His family didn't like me, but he ignored them and proposed at my college graduation. Shortly after we got married, he started staying out late at his new job. He started to get frustrated and had a temper."

"Did he hit you?" Fabian asked. Nina noticed his white knuckles.

"Y-yes," She hesitated. "Fabian, are you okay?"

No, he wasn't okay. It was unfair; the nicest people in life always received the shitty end of the stick. Nina didn't deserve that; she—or Will—didn't deserve an asshole of a husband or father. She deserved someone that would treat her like…well, a goddess or royalty.

"I-I'm fine," He lied through his teeth. "Was Will okay?"

Nina sighed. "Well, I thought having a child would ease Rob back into his former self. Sure, he wanted a kid. But he refused to have sex with me, saying a lot of derogative things. But he finally agreed to be a donor. He didn't hit me when I was pregnant, only slurring insults before passing out. Nine months later, Will was here. Rob didn't even want to hold him." A tear slipped down Nina's face as she relived the memories. "He returned to hitting me, sometimes even Will. I tried to leave, but he threatened me. I recorded him hitting me and filed a restraining order and divorce. Though he was arrested, his family bailed him out. They took his side. And guess what? Everything I talked about happened in just over a year—talk about a short marriage."

Fabian strangely felt like stopping the car, driving to wherever Rob's house was, and kicking his ass.

"Fabian? We aren't moving," Nina said quietly, laughing.

Fabian hadn't noticed that he stopped driving and had pulled over. "Oh, sorry," He muttered.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I just don't get how a wonderful person like you got _that_ in life," Fabian blurted without thinking.

"Life isn't fair," Nina grimly smiled. "I learned that a long time ago."

* * *

The dining room of the lodge was beautifully decorated, but Patricia was too distracted to notice. She pulled her husband aside to discuss the call Patricia almost answered. They attempted to get privacy in a closet.

Patricia dodged Eddie's kiss as she glared at him. She crossed her arms and backed away.

"Trixie, are you okay?" Eddie asked, confused.

"Why was Chloe calling you?" Patricia sharply asked, tossing him his phone.

"It's probably about her not getting a payment in time or something about Francis and Juliana," Eddie said, glancing through his messages. "The kids are probably mad that they can't spend summer with us."

"I thought you told her not to call us," Patricia snapped.

"Unless it was an emergency," Eddie said. "She said that Francis is in the hospital and she needs to borrow money for his visit. Juliana is okay, though."

Patricia sighed. "How bad is it?"

"He broke his arm. The cost is looking to be about two thousand."

"How much does she need?"

"About $1, 500," Eddie sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"What does she do with the child support checks you send her?" Patricia muttered bitterly. "Send it to her in the PayPal account."

Eddie nodded, kissing her quickly and running off to call the she-devil.

Patricia walked out of the closet, obviously saddened. A manicured hand landed on her shoulder.

"Who's Chloe?" Amber asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Patricia crossed her arms. "Just go and drink your mimosas," She snapped and started to walk off.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's up," Amber prodded as she followed Patricia to the bathroom.

Patricia spun around, tears streaming down her face. "She's his ex-girlfriend that he knocked up in high school. She has been a pain in my ass since Eddie and I were dating. She literally rubs in my face that I fail to have kids, and she has Francis and Juliana. I know Eddie doesn't love her anymore, but how can I compete with her? She has already given him two children. Would he even love our children the same way he loves Juliana and Francis?"

"Not true, Patricia," Amber sternly said. "He'd love your children as much as he loves you. And you don't have to bear children to show how much you adore kids. If you love Francis and Juliana like your own children, why should you feel the pressure to bear children?"

"Today, most kids understand what they read in fairy tales or what their she-devil of a mother tells them; stepmoms are evil witches," Patricia sighed. "I have a feeling that I won't get Francis' and Juliana's love anytime soon."

* * *

"Nina, we really need to take our seats," Fabian whispered as she weaved through crowds. She turned heads with her choice of gown (and beauty), but Nina was determined to find the manager before dinner began.

"I need to find this guy before it's too late," Nina said, before her heel caught on the train of her dress.

Before Fabian could catch her (he had terrible reflexes), a pair of hands dove forward and caught her.

"Watch it, beautiful," A male smirked, patting Nina's hand. The male had medium blonde hair, intense gray eyes, and a tall and built physique.

Nina blushed, embarrassed. "Thanks, Mr…"

"Hayden Finch," Hayden smirked, kissing her hand. "And you are?"

Before Fabian even knew what he was doing, he had grabbed Nina's free hand and pulled her closer to him. "We have to take our seats, love," He said, leading her away from Creeper McCreeper—I mean, Mr. Hayden Finch.

"Love?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as they took their seats. Thankfully, Mara was seated next to them and didn't eavesdrop like Amber or Will would have.

"That guy was practically undressing you with his eyes. Hey, you should be thanking me," Fabian smiled, patting her knee. He attempted to ignore her curious expression as he paid attention to what was happening onstage.

The lights dimmed and everyone scrambled to their seats, eager. A woman with dark hair and tanned skin appeared onstage. She was holding a clipboard and was wearing a pretty purple dress.

"Hello!" She chirped. "I'm Trudy, and I'm the Recreation Director at the Anubis Retreat here at the Hamptons. If you or any of the little ones need anything, you know where my office is! Victor? Victor, please stand in!"

"Victor?" Nina whispered, recognizing the name from earlier.

A chair was pushed back and the same older man stood up, a menacing look on his face. "Hello," He boomed.

Nina glanced at Fabian and they thought the same thing—the guy was everywhere. They needed to find the manager _now_.

"I'm the manager here, and I hope you…_enjoy_ your time here," He scoffed, before sitting back down.

"Fabian," Nina gasped, turning to him. He was just as surprised.

"Our evil fiend is the manager," He remarked.

* * *

After putting Will to sleep, Nina ventured downstairs where Fabian was awaiting her with a warm cup of hot cocoa.

"Well, now what?" Nina sighed as she thankfully took the cup.

"We could go straight to the police," Fabian suggested.

"Or we could get evidence and take that to the police. The NYPD isn't going to drive all the way up here to investigate a possibility of a murder."

"Good point, but where do we go?" Fabian asked.

They were interrupted when Eddie stumbled down the stairs. He yawned and headed for the kitchen. "Don't mind me; I'm just fixing some pancakes."

"It's midnight," Fabian said.

"So?" Eddie smirked. "Oh, do you guys know someone named Sarah Frobisher-Smythe?"

"Sarah? You might want to turn it into the office. Someone must have left it."

But the obvious question would be _why_? The violin's strings were violently ripped from the instrument. The instrument was worn and scratched.

"Wait, Eddie," Nina called, looking up from her iPhone. "It says here that Sarah Frobisher-Smythe has been missing for about six months. That might be evidence. Where did you find that?"

Eddie nervously scratched his head. "Um, I was rummaging around my closet," He started. "And I accidently hit a section of the wall. The wall gave away to reveal a secret room. I found the violin here."

"Don't take it to the office yet," Fabian said, taking the violin. He exchanged a glance with Nina. He noticed something, but didn't want to tell her in front of Eddie. He discreetly grabbed her phone and tapped out a message.

_Egyptian hieroglyphs on violin. I could translate._

Nina raised an eyebrow and responded:

_Translate?_

Fabian smirked and replied:

_I'll tell you tomorrow. I'll take the violin with me._

Eddie glanced between them. "Okay, I'll let you do whatever you people…do," He started to walk up the stairs, skipping two stairs at a time. A warm plate of pancakes was in his hands.

"I'm an archaeologist," Fabian finally said after Eddie was out of earshot.

Nina looked stunned for a second. "Well, I'm not surprised. You were reading a book about artifacts. And you're very smart," She playfully punched his shoulder.

Fabian blushed and stood up. "Well, I'm going to turn in for the night. Goodnight," He smiled, walking away.

"Fabian?" She called. "Thank you for listening to my problems."

* * *

**Pray for Boston.**


	5. Chapter 5: House of Matchmaker

**Anything Could Happen**

**Keep in mind that the poll can change at any given time. I count the anon votes at the end. Jara could easily top Jeroy; we'll never know until I close the poll.**

**I think I'll close the poll when I'm done outlining the story. I'll keep you updated on the closing day.**

**This chapter deals with Amber and Will meddling into their housemates' love lives. The Amber/Will parts are comic relief to the dangerous mystery (except for one little part). However, tragic backstories and feelings are also revealed.**

**Please read the A/N at the end; I have important news!**

**I'd like to start off the chapter with a quote. **

"_**There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment." **_

― _**Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever**_

**Chapter 5—House of Matchmaker **

A pillow hit Will in the face. Will groaned and pulled covers over his curly head.

"Wake up!" Amber shouted, hitting him again.

The six year old shot up. "Amber?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"We are playing cupid," Amber smiled, handing him a costume.

"What?" Will asked, examining the costume. It was like the stereotypical Cupid uniform: a pink shirt, a diaper, and a bow and arrow. "I am not wearing that!"

"Why? I'm wearing something like that!" Amber protested, examining her fuchsia dress. "Like my Cupid dress?"

"Amber, you're not wearing a diaper; especially in front of girls," Will stated.

"Think of it as an investment. If you are seen being supportive, girls find that attractive! It's a win-win!"

"Fine, but I'm not wearing a diaper. I'll wear the shirt, though."

"Yay!" Amber said, clapping in excitement.

"I'm not going to change with an audience," Will stated and shooed Amber away.

* * *

A hand clamped down on Mara's shoulder. She jumped and turned. Mick Campbell stood behind her, a charming grin on his face.

"A medical book, really?" He scoffed, taking the book from her hands, ignoring her indignant, "Hey!"

"I was reading that!" Mara angrily said, taking the book back.

"I would like to take you out to brunch," Mick said, throwing a dress at her. "So, go and get dressed."

"I'm not going to brunch with you," Mara protested. "For one, I barely know you."

"Well, that'll be a great way to get and know me better, huh?" Mick smirked. "I'll be outside."

Mara stared after him before walking upstairs to change. "And what's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Amber and Will emerged from around the corner. Will was holding his bow and arrow, a smile on his face. He released an arrow in Mick's direction.

"Love's in the air," Amber squealed.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Mara and Mick were seated in a sunny café. The café was mostly glass and located in the middle of the forest. A waitress had taken their orders, before quickly leaving them to chat.

"Do you know who I am?"

"A stupid football player?" Mara smirked as she took a sip of her pink lemonade.

Mick's heart sank, but he quickly recovered, placing his signature smirk back on his face. "A womanizer, too. You're a surgeon that has no life, right?"

"Why did you offer to take me out if you're just going to criticize me?" Mara asked, standing up. Her chair scraped against the floor, drawing attention to them. Mara blushed, sitting back down.

"You started it," Mick argued, pointing fingers. "There's more to me than a womanizing, football player."

"Really?" Mara scoffed.

"Do you know my parents died when I was 8? Or that my grandma died of cancer, and my aunt barely cared for me?" Mick accused, his voice rising.

Mara was speechless, but Mick was on a roll.

"I thought you would see past my bad actions and see the real me. I guess not," Mick leaned back and glared at her with such intensity that Mara winced.

"Well, when you act like a womanizing jerk, it's hard to notice."

"Don't you think that's why I act that way? I don't get much love or respect in life; why should I treat everyone else with the same respect?" Mick questioned.

"That's the problem with our generation. We always want respect, but we don't respect anyone else. I know you had a sick childhood, Mick, but you can make everything better. It all falls on your shoulders."

Mick was silent.

The silence was broken by their waitress, whom had returned nervously with a single plate of chocolate cake and a bottle of champagne.

"We didn't order this," Mara stated.

"It's a small gift from the café," The waitress nervously shifted her weight before setting the plate, two forks, and champagne down. She quickly left, muttering something about rich people.

"I don't see anyone else with this," Mick noted, glancing around.

"I think they think we're a couple," Mara realized with a slight gasp.

"Well, hey," Mick smiled, "It's a free dessert." And he saluted Mara, and they clinked their glasses together.

Unknown to Mara and Mick, Amber and Will were seated across the café, spying on them. Amber slipped the waitress a hundred-dollar bill. The waitress shook her head and continued on her way.

Amber pulled the binoculars from her face. A small frown was on her face. "I don't know who I ship more—Jara, Jeroy, Mickra, or Moy."

"Moy?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mick and Joy," Amber replied. "Well," She said, taking her iPhone out of her purse. "It says here that Jerome is driving Joy to the city; he needs to pick up something from his apartment and she needs to drop off her portfolio. I bugged their car, so we can view the feedback from poolside. Let's go, William."

"It's Will," He whined.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Joy whined as she threw her head back and groaned.

"If you ask that again, I'll stop the car and leave you out here," Jerome warned as he gripped the wheel.

"With the bears?" Joy smirked.

"Yes, and a bunch of crazy farmers or something," Jerome muttered. "And we're about an hour away."

"Thanks," Joy said. "So, what are you getting from your apartment?"

"That's none of your business," Jerome curtly replied.

"Yes, it is," Joy responded.

"I forgot my charger, okay?"

"No, you didn't. Your Blackberry is almost always charged. What are you looking for, Clarke?" Joy asked. "If you don't tell me, I'll keep bugging you and bugging you and—"

"Okay!" Jerome shouted, nearly swerving off the road. "I'm looking for my USB drive."

"What's so special about a USB drive?"

"It has my mother's journals on it. When she was pregnant and raising me, she kept a journal; in case something would happen to her, she wanted me to always remember her. She died in a plane crash when I was 10. I've never left home with a copy of her journals—either on my Blackberry, USB, or in writing. I always read her journals when I'm missing her or before I go to sleep. But my phone mysteriously deleted it, so I need the USB or the actual journals. Happy?" Jerome finished, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Jerome, I'm so sorry," Joy whispered. She had never known about Jerome's tragic life. "Is your father…?"

"No," Jerome said, his voice cold. "Are you always so curious and dramatic?" He asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"I'm just trying to help you," Joy defended herself. "I've been through stuff like that!"

"Like what?" Jerome scoffed. "You barely know me!"

"Death and losing someone you love," Joy said, tears slipping down her face. "You don't know much about me, either. I lost my twin sister to leukemia. She was so young—I tried to help her. I donated blood and a kidney. But the surgery failed, and I lost my sister at the age of 8."

There was silence for a few moments. "I'm sorry," Jerome whispered.

Joy laughed, wiping the tears from her face. "I thought you never apologize?"

"I guess I'll make an exception," Jerome cracked a smile.

* * *

"Will, let's talk about the elephant in the room," Amber asked Will after they listened in on Jerome's and Joy's conversation. It was emotional and painful for both, so Amber quickly changed the subject.

"That woman isn't that big," Will said, gesturing to a woman swimming.

"Yes, she is; she looks like Honey Boo Boo's mom. But that's not the point. What do you think about Nina and Fabian?"

"I told you; I like them together," Will answered, scratching at a mosquito bite on his knee.

"I know that, but do you think he's replacing your dad?" Amber asked.

"Geez, Amber! They aren't getting married! They aren't even dating! So, stop calling him my dad!" Will shouted, earning some people's attention. He sat down and quietly continued. "I do want happiness for my mom; that's why we're scheming, right? But please don't call him my dad. I barely know him—it's too soon."

Amber was shocked and speechless, but she didn't hesitated when she gathered Will into her arms, practically hugging the life out of him.

* * *

Fabian knocked on Nina's door, the violin and his translations in hand. He didn't her reply, so he cautiously opened the door. She wasn't in the room. Fabian heard the shower going. He also heard her singing, which made him smile a bit.

Fabian was about to set the violin and translations on her desk when he heard the telltale sound of a door opening. He whirled around to find Nina—Nina only in a thin towel.

Nina shrieked in surprise. "Oh," She blushed. "I thought you were someone else," She said, knotting the towel tighter around her.

Fabian couldn't stop staring at her. She barely looked like she had a baby six years ago. She took the towel from her head and let her dirty blonde tresses down. Oh god, it was in slow motion—

"Fabian? My eyes are up here," Nina said, twisting her wet hair into a tight knot.

That snapped him out of his less-than-appropriate thoughts. "I translated the hieroglyphs," He meekly said.

"Oh, yeah? What do they say?" asked Nina, leaning forward.

He forgot how to breathe. "Um, don't you want to get dressed first? I mean, we might have to go to the library and do more research…"

"Okay," Nina said, grinning. "I'll be back." And she headed back into the bathroom.

Fabian ran a hand through his inky hair. That woman would be the death of him…

* * *

After Jerome retrieved his USB and Joy dropped off her folder, they hopped back into the car.

"I know a great place for a late lunch," Joy suggested.

"Would you like to drive? Or would you need a phone book to sit on?" Jerome asked, joking.

Joy playfully punched his shoulder. "How about we walk? It isn't that far from here."

Jerome silently agreed as he got out and locked the door. They started to stroll down the NY streets.

After a five minute walk, they reached a diner. The diner looked run-down and dirty.

"Nice place, Joy," Jerome sarcastically said.

Joy rolled her eyes. "It might look dirty, but the diner serves the best food. Come on."

They entered and were immediately seated at a booth by the window.

"So, we both live in New York City. Where do you live?" Joy asked as he studied the menu. Joy already knew what she wanted—she practically memorized the menu.

"Brooklyn," He answered, not looking up from the paper menu. "You?"

"East Village," Joy answered, smiling at him. "Have you decided on what you want? I recommend the chocolate milkshake."

"I recommend getting the hell out of here," Jerome muttered as a waiter walked to their table.

"Joy, how are you?" The waiter greeted. He was African-American and had to be in his mid-sixties. But he had a warm and caring smile.

"I'm good, Ed. How are you?" Joy asked.

"Good. Who's this?" Ed gestured to Jerome.

"A friend," Joy replied. "You know what? Give us two of my regular."

"Ay, ay," Ed said, saluting her and leaving.

"What is your regular, and why did you order for me?" Jerome asked.

"Because it's fun," Joy smirked. "And you'll love it; just trust me."

"Trust; another word I abhor," Jerome muttered.

Five minutes later, Ed staggered out of the kitchen. He was carrying two heaping plates of hamburgers, fries, and chocolate milkshakes. He set the plates down, winking.

"You know, it's nice to see Joy with someone new. She hasn't been here with someone since Christian—"

"Thanks, Ed," Joy interrupted and glared at him.

Ed walked away, sending a knowing look at Jerome.

"What was that?" Jerome asked as Joy immediately started to eat.

"Nothing; just eat your food."

Jerome obliged, beginning to eat. To his surprise, the food was amazing—especially the milkshake. He could see why Joy loved this place.

"Stop staring at me," Joy said without looking up.

Jerome hadn't realized he was staring at her. He fumbled for an excuse. "I'm not staring; I'm just trying to figure out how you can eat that much and stay that skinny."

"Metabolism," Joy curtly replied.

After a while, Jerome started to stare at her again.

Joy threw down her fork. "God, Christian was an ex; that's all!" Joy shouted. "Now you can stop staring at me, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Joy," Jerome said. "Excuse me." And he got up, heading towards the bathroom. He was stopped by Ed.

"I've got two stories for you, so listen up. I've known Joy since she was a little girl. She used to come here with her sister. And she continued coming here after she passed. A few years ago, she fell for this idiot named Christian. Everything was fine, until she found out that he had another life. He had a wife and kids. She was pretty broken up about it—this was the first time she's popped in here for nearly three years. Don't bother messing with her heart unless you're going to fix it, okay?"

* * *

About ten minutes later, Nina appeared—this time, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. "Ready?"

Fabian nodded, and they headed out of the house. Instead of driving to the library, they decided on a warm walk.

"Where's Will?" Fabian asked. He didn't remember seeing the curly-haired boy at breakfast.

"With Amber," Nina said. "For some reason, Amber loves to hang around him. I think I found a new godmother from him—he isn't fond of his current one, my publisher."

"What's wrong with her?" Fabian asked, getting intrigued.

"Well, nothing. Her name is Gwen, and she really helped me with the divorce. But for some reason, Will hates her. And Gwen hates him right back. But I don't have any friends other than her, so I made her godmother. It's really not working out," Nina laughed.

"You don't have any friends?" Fabian blurted. He mentally slapped himself—gah! That was a stupid and insensitive question!

Nina smiled, even though the question was kind of personal. "I grew up on the Upper East Side. Though I came from the rich family, I apparently wasn't pretty enough or wore the right clothes to fit in. That's how I learned how to write novels and stories. When it was lunch and the other kids would gossip, text, or even makeout, I just sat at my lonely lunch table and wrote. And two years after my parents died in a plane crash, I had my baby and went through a divorce. I was practically exiled from the Upper East Side. But after I wrote four bestsellers and one of them was turned into the movie, which won three Oscars, they suddenly wanted me to be their best friend." Nina laughed. "Which I didn't; I bought back my parents' penthouse. But nothing will fill the void of my parents' love—I wish they were there to help me through the divorce. They knew exactly what to do."

"I know how you feel; I was born in England. I had a lot of friends, but when I was ten, my father died. My mother moved our family to California and remarried. I hated my stepfather. I didn't have any friends; they all thought I was the weird and smart British guy. So, as soon as I finished high school, I went to Arizona and worked for an old friend of my father's. I haven't seen my mom or sisters in almost eight years."

Nina was silent. "Well, we're a bunch of misfits, aren't we?" Nina smiled, playfully punching his shoulder. "It gets better, I promise." And she reached over and laced her fingers through his.

* * *

**Okay, I had to seriously force myself to stop crying! Especially during the Will/Amber parts! I feel like falling on the ground and sobbing!**

**Well, I promised big news! And here it is…**

**How many of my lovely readers have a Tumblr? WELL, I HAVE OFFICALLY OPENED A TUMBLR FOR ALL OF MY HOA STORIES! Please go and check it out. Follow it if you have a Tumblr. Also, I'll be posting sneak peeks, photos, and links on there. You can also ask questions. I've posted a link of the Tumblr on my profile. Don't worry; it's safe. Have fun!**

**-Morgan, xoxo**


	6. Chapter 6: House of Reunions

**Anything Could Happen**

**Update on poll:**

**Jeroy is leading with 37% of the vote (about 4% decrease from last update)**

**Jara has weakened Jeroy's control of the vote and has 25% of the vote.**

**Moy has 20% of the vote.**

**And Mickra has 16% of the vote.**

**Don't forget; I haven't counted the anon votes! :D**

**BTW, I love Amfie. But I have decided to have Amfie in Chasing Love and Murderers, not this story. Amber and Alfie will have OC love interests. I already have them written up, and Amber's and Alfie's love interests will appear later this chapter.**

**Chapter 6—House of Reunions**

Amber and Will strolled back to the house, carrying a basket and lunches they picked up from the café. Of course, Will was carrying all of the stuff.

"Why do we need this much stuff?" Will grunted, pulling the basket further up his shoulder. His hands carried bags, filled to the brim with delicious food.

"Well, if you're going to play Cupid, you have to move quickly and eat lunch on the go. And you need to build up muscles, too," Amber said. "Do you even play football? You sure don't look like it!"

"Well, excuse me! But I didn't sign up for Cupid role-playing," Will huffed.

"Whoa, calm down! Sassy," Amber mumbled.

"What's in this basket?" Will asked, attempting to peek into the basket.

"We're locking Peddie into the attic; hopefully, they'll solve some of their problems," Amber rolled her eyes. "If both of them weren't so stubborn…"

"Peddie?" Will asked, confused.

"Patricia and Eddie! God, Will, keep up!" Amber playfully punched his shoulder, but stopped when Will nearly dropped Amber's lunch. "Watch it; that's my favorite lunch."

Will groaned and hurried up to follow the blonde. "So, how are we going to lock Peddie into the attic?"

"Easy; the art of texting," Amber smiled.

* * *

Patricia entered the attic. "Hello? Amber?"

Eddie popped up from behind a box of antique French dolls. "Patricia?" He asked.

"Eddie? What are you doing here? I'm supposed to meet Amber," Patricia crossed her arms.

"I'm also supposed to meet Amber," Eddie's eyes widened as he realized their mistake.

Behind Patricia, the door slammed shut. Patricia ran to the door, pulling on it. They were locked in.

"You're going to solve your problems—I don't care how long it takes!" Amber shouted through the door.

"What if we're in here for the entire night?" Patricia asked. "What if we starve?"

"I put some water and food in there—don't worry! Just solve your damn problems!"

"Ooh, that's a quarter for the swear jar!" Will gleefully cheered.

"Will?" Eddie asked, astonished. "Will, I thought we were friends!"

"She bribed me with cookies!" Will shouted.

"No, I didn't!" Amber protested. "Whatever; just talk it out! You're married; it should be a piece of cake!"

Patricia turned and glared at Eddie. "This is your fault, Slimeball."

And so, the yelling commenced.

* * *

"So, what did the hieroglyphs say?" Nina asked as they reached the library.

"It said 'Guardians of Anubis'. It doesn't make sense," Fabian replied, opening the door for her.

Nina smiled, before continuing. "Well, the retreat is named Anubis. There has to be some connection."

"Yes, but what?"

A teen volunteer was apparently working the front desk. But on her face was a bored expression only Kristen Stewart could match. However, she perked up when Fabian entered the room—she didn't even cast a glance at Nina.

As Fabian asked her to point them in the direction of the Egyptian archives, the teenager could barely keep her eyes off of him.

Nina felt a pang of jealously; she didn't have feelings for Fabian, did she?

* * *

Amber sighed and sat down at the bar. While Will was sitting outside the attic door, monitoring Peddie's every move, Amber decided to sample some wine from the bar. Apparently, the bar was award-winning.

"Well, you look like you need something stronger than wine," The bartender noted, wiping down the table.

Amber glanced at him. The bartender had reddish-brown hair and green orbs, a strange combination. But he, somehow, made it work.

Amber scoffed. "Please, it's too early for something stronger."

The bartender slid a glass of Scotch over to her. "It's never too early for whiskey."

Amber reluctantly took the glass and downed it in five seconds. She frowned, sliding the glass back. "Good, but not as good as Scotch from Paris."

"You've traveled over the world, huh?" He asked, refilling her glass.

She daintily took the glass, contemplating her answer. "Yes, but don't you already know that?"

"Why would I know that?" He replied, glancing at her.

"Don't know who I am? Don't you get CNN or any news network?" Amber miserably said.

"Well, considering I don't have cable, Internet, _or_ a TV, I guess not," He bitterly responded. "Who are you?"

Amber paused. This guy was the first person not to know of her bad reputation. It would be nice to have a fresh start with someone; an innocent, fresh start. "I'm Jenny," Amber blurted without thinking.

"Well, Jenny, I'm Noel," Noel said, reaching out to shake her hand.

Amber smiled. Maybe being "Jenny" wouldn't be so bad after all…

* * *

Patricia paced back and forth as Eddie drummed his fingers against a dusty box. "Can you stop doing that, please? I'm trying to figure out how we could get out of here!" Patricia shouted.

"Here's how—start talking and stop arguing!" Will shouted from outside. "Just talk it over like adults—by the way, how does it feel to get advice from a six year old?"

Eddie chuckled as Patricia nearly charged at the door. Eddie caught her from around her waist. "Will's right; let's just sit and talk it over," He suggested.

"Finally! You're ready! Okay, first topic: Chloe, Juliana, Francis, and the "evil" stepmom. Go!"

"Evil stepmom?" Eddie asked, confused.

Patricia sighed. "Well, have you ever read/seen 'Cinderella' or 'Snow White'?" When he nodded, she continued. "Most kids don't know how to deal with a stepmom. In most fairy tales, which are the only literary material available to children these days, the stepmom is usually the bitch—"

"Quarter for the swear jar!" Will interrupted. "But, continue…"

"The stepmom is a bitchy character; she has no heart whatsoever. But Juliana and Francis are different; Chloe tells them what to think of me. I just…I don't want to be the "Evil Queen", though their costumes are pretty awesome. I'm tired of being judged before a person gets to know me."

"Trixie, Juliana and Francis do love you. They…don't know how to cope with the idea of a two moms and a dad—just like I didn't. It'll get better, Patricia," Eddie said, kissing her forehead.

Patricia smiled. "I remember the day I met you. Chloe had just dumped you publicly and…"

* * *

"_We're done!" Chloe screamed, dumping her coffee all over a shocked and confused Eddie. She stormed out of the café, smirking to the small audience of baristas and customers._

_A barista pitifully handed Eddie a towel as he avoided everyone's stare. Suddenly, a woman with auburn hair walked up to his table._

"_Bad break-up?" She asked with no remorse in her voice. When he glared at her, she began to laugh. "I'm just messing with you."_

"_Do I know you?" Eddie muttered as he ran his hands through his coffee-stained hair._

"_I make your coffee every day, remember?" The woman rolled her eyes, pointing to her apron._

_Oh; when he usually ordered, Eddie was on his phone, talking to his father or Chloe. Why hadn't he noticed the British, auburn-haired woman that made his breakfast every morning? She was certainly beautiful._

"_You're usually talking to other people," She answered, sounding his thoughts from a few moments ago. "I get it; a busy high school student with a lunatic for a girlfriend needs his caffeine."_

"_Hey, my girlfriend isn't a—"_

"_She's not your girlfriend anymore, remember? She just dumped you in front of thirty people. We were all witnesses."_

_Eddie had to stop and think. She was right; he didn't have to defend her like that. Chloe dumped him, not the other way around. He had to stop thinking about her._

_Eddie smiled. "Hi, I'm Eddie."_

_The woman rolled her eyes. "Patricia."_

"_Can I call you Trixie?"_

* * *

"Okay, did you see the flashback, too?" Will asked, confused **(1)**.

Patricia ignored Will and continued. "And I guess I'm upset that you already have Juliana and Francis. Would you even want more children from me?"

"Of course! Hey," He said, pulling her back to him when she turned away. "You are my wife, and I love you. Nothing is going to change that."

Patricia grinned, before standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. Eddie pulled her closer as if he was saying everything was forgiven—which it was. The kiss progressed and became more heated. The couple knocked over boxes as they lowered themselves to the floor.

Patricia pulled away, slightly breathless. She giggled, which was very unlike her. "You know, this is on my bucket list—make love in a dark attic."

Eddie laughed as they began to kiss again. Clothing was discarded as the couple forgot that Will was just outside the door.

Will cleared his throat. "I think everything is resolved…so, I'm going to go…bye," He awkwardly said as he ran far away from the door, wondering where Amber was.

* * *

Nina slammed another book shut. "Nope, haven't found anything," She sighed. "Have you?" She asked.

"Nope," Fabian said from his position by the bay window.

They had been searching through books, looking for clues. But so far, nothing had spiked their interest.

"I'm going to check up on Will. I'll be back," Nina said, standing up. She walked out of the library and was met with summer rain. Groaning, she tied her hair into a tight knot, to avoid tangling. Suddenly, something was over her head and blocking the rain from her.

"Evening, Miss," Hayden Finch grinned. As usual, he was impeccably dressed in a purple suit, and his blonde hair was combed back in a seductive manner **(2). **

"Thanks. Do you always dress like that? You don't see me walking around in a gown every day," Nina joked as they strolled away from the library.

"I have a reputation to uphold. I am owner of this wonderful retreat," Hayden said. "However, you can stroll around in jeans and still look gorgeous."

Nina blushed. "Thanks. So, you own the retreat?"

"Well, my father did. But he…mysteriously passed away last month," Hayden clicked his tongue in a disappointed manner. "Now, back to you, Miss Nina Martin. Why are you in the rain?"

"I'm going to check up on my son," Nina answered.

"Your son? You don't look like a mother!" Hayden said, shocked. "Was that other man your husband?"

Nina realized he was talking about Fabian. "No, he wasn't my ex-husband," She blurted. "Just a friend."

Hayden nodded. "Let me walk you to your cabin."

As Nina and Hayden walked away, they failed to notice a certain person watching them from the entrance of the library.

* * *

Alien-hunting from the Hamptons was useless. Too many people and trees were in the area. No aliens would visit.

So, Alfie finally gave up on alien-hunting and decided to enjoy the retreat. He was passing by the pool on his way to lunch when someone pushed him into the pool. He resurfaced, shouting, "Hey! I had my iPhone in my pocket—Katherine?"

The brunette (aka, his ex-girlfriend) smirked, putting her hands on her hips. "Hello, Alfie. It's been a while."

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked, getting out of the pool.

Katherine batted her eyelashes, her "innocent" hazel eyes blinking. "Well, your parents have always loved and trusted me, so they wanted me to keep an eye on you. And I guess I need some sun. Guess who's rooming in your cabin?" Katherine held up the Frobisher-Smythe key, grinning.

Alfie stared in amazement. "I hate you. You know that, right?"

"Oh, sweetie, I think we all know that. And the feeling is mutual," Katherine shoved Alfie back into the pool and walked away.

* * *

**Well, Alfie's and Katherine's road to a new relationship will be long and winding; that's for sure.**

**Do you think Amber's alter ego will get her into hot water?**

**(1) Tsk, tsk! Will just broke fourth wall.**

**(2) I've always Hayden Finch as Chuck Bass, but blonde. And I always have to introduce Hayden Finch with his full name—it just seems right!**

**-Morgan, xoxo**


	7. Chapter 7: House of Jealously

**Anything Could Happen**

**[Bs13: Well, Alfie doesn't completely hate Katherine. Their complicated past will be revealed later.]**

**A few weeks ago, a student at my school was shot and killed. He was shot by a group of boys that wanted to join a gang. Our school has been deeply affected by the tragedy. **

**My class is reading **_**To Kill a Mockingbird**_**, and I found a quote that described the student's death. Mr. Underwood compared Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds. I would also like to compare his death to the senseless slaughter. In a way, he was like a songbird—bright, full of life, and kind. He will be missed.**

**And I would like to thank all of my readers. You have inspired me to keep going in life. I wake up with a smile on my face, knowing at least some people like me. I sometimes go on my traffic stats and smile at how many visitors. I hope I'm not disappointing you; I hope I'm only returning the favor of you inspiring me.**

***This chapter is dedicated to a fallen songbird and my readers**

**Chapter 7—House of Jealously**

Nina and Fabian never found evidence in the library, but every time Fabian attempted to talk to Nina, she was on her way to the café, where Mr. Hayden Finch awaited her. Over the week, the visits became more frequent, nearly twice a day for lunch and dinner. But Fabian wasn't the only one hating Hayden Finch. Amber and Will despised Hayden Finch; they agreed that he was a slimy, no-go fiend.

Fabian took a deep breath and knocked on Nina's door. He finally mustered up the courage to talk to Nina about Hayden. But he nearly stopped breathing all together when Nina opened the door.

She was wearing a pretty blue dress that made her green eyes pop. Her dirty blonde hair fell down her back in long spirals. She wore white heels, which made her about the same height as Fabian.

"Hi, Fabian," She said, bringing him back to Earth.

His mouth was dry, and he suddenly forgot his speech. "Um," He stuttered. "Well, you look amazing."

"Thanks," Nina smiled. "Do you need anything?"

"Um, well—are you busy?" He asked, following her into her room.

Nina grabbed her purse, biting her lip. "Well, I'm meeting Hayden in five minutes. But I'm sure I can be a few minutes late. What's wrong?"

Fabian gulped nervously. "Oh, it's nothing. Have fun on your…date," He nearly choked on the word.

Nina sent him a concerned glance before leaving. She hadn't denied that it was or wasn't a date.

Fabian sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come on, we need to follow them!" Amber interrupted his thoughts. He turned to find Amber behind him, tapping her foot.

"What are you talking about?" Fabian asked.

Amber rolled her eyes and stepped aside.

"I agree," Will said as he crossed his arms. "I can tell that you really like my mom; way more than Mr. Finch. That's why we need to stop him."

"I don't like your mom like that," Fabian stammered, embarrassed that a six year old could see through him.

"I see the way you look at her. It's the way Eddie and Patricia stare at each other. And I haven't seen her that happy since _he_ left."

Fabian contemplated what Will thought him. Did he have feelings for her?

The simplest of touches brought on sparks that he had never felt before. The simple details about her were endless. Her radiant smile was the best thing in the world. Her smile lit up the room; Fabian had received so many smiles from her, it was nearly interminable. Her love for Will was never-ending, as every mother's love should be. The thought of losing her was like a sharp stab in the stomach.

Okay, that just confirmed it.

Fabian Rutter had feelings for Nina Martin. Welcome back to high school, Rutter.

"Well, are you in or not?" Amber impatiently asked.

Fabian ignored her, walking over to Nina's window. Outside, Hayden Finch was opening the door of his fancy car for her. He pulled off a bow, equipped with a faux accent, no doubt. She looked happy, but he couldn't help but wonder how that would change if that was Fabian and Nina, not Hayden and Nina.

"I'm in."

* * *

"Come on; try it!" Mara urged Mick.

Mara offered "how-to-be-nice" lessons to Mick. Mick had accepted, only on the condition that he could take her to lunch and select what she wore (it took some convincing, but Mara also agreed).

"Why?" Mick whined. "This is hard!"

Mara rolled her eyes. "Mick, just try saying please and thank you."

"Can't I thank someone with a wink and a smile? Like this?" And Mick demonstrated his way of saying please and thank you.

Mara felt herself blush before she shook her head. "No, that's stupid," Mara retorted.

"Hey, no insults! Remember?" Mick said.

"Oh, suddenly, you remember your manners!" Mara laughed.

They were interrupted when Jerome walked downstairs. He locked eyes with Mara, and she flashbacked to the day they meant. They haven't exchanged more conversations, seeing he was always with Joy and she was with Mick.

"Mara," Jerome pleasantly greeted. He nodded in Mick's direction, not sparing him a proper welcoming. "Care to join me for a run?" He asked.

Mara hadn't noticed that he was wearing jogging pants and an old college shirt. Mara herself was dressed in a tank top and a pair of old yoga pants that had a tear in the knee. Without knowing it, she actually dressed herself for a run.

"Actually, Mara is helping me with something, and we're going to lunch later," Mick said, glaring intensely at Jerome.

"Campbell, I didn't ask you," Jerome curtly replied.

"I'll go," Mara blurted. She glanced at Mick. "We can reschedule for lunch, right?"

"Fine," Mick coldly responded. He got up and darted upstairs, not sparing a backwards glance at them.

* * *

"Why are we at the same restaurant as Nina and Hayden?" Fabian asked as they were seated at the back of the restaurant.

"We're listening in," Amber whispered. "And hush! Don't you know the first rule of spying? Never get close to your subjects. That's why I've placed a listening device under their table."

"Amber, that's—"

"Hush!" Amber snapped, handing him and Will headphones.

A waiter brought over platters of sandwiches and fruit, but the three were too distracted to notice.

"Favorite novel or novella?" Hayden's smooth voice sounded—the listening device actually worked!

"You're seriously asking an author that question?" Nina laughed, and Fabian's heart almost stopped. "Well, it's probably _To Kill a Mockingbird_. It's funny and deals with issues some authors are afraid to confront. How about you?"

"What makes you think I have time to leisurely read?" Hayden arrogantly replied. "I don't have time on a 24 hour flight to read books!" He joked, his voice softening.

Fabian, Will, and Amber simultaneously rolled their eyes. This guy was a load of shit.

"Okay, you've got me: _The Beautiful and Damned_," Hayden admitted. "I'm a F. Scott Fitzgerald freak."

"No, you're just a freak in general," Will whispered, and he received high-fives from both Amber and Fabian.

"I've only read _The Great Gatsby_," Nina replied. "Tell me about _The Beautiful and the Damned_."

"Well, picture the Roaring '20s. We're rich, beautiful and handsome, and young! There's no worry in the world!" Hayden excitedly spoke.

"We?" Nina asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Just close your eyes and imagine," Hayden whispered. "Parties every night, unlimited power. Can you feel it?"

"All of that power goes to your head, doesn't it? It is insane, isn't it?" Nina remarked.

"Yes. I'm crazy, and you're beautiful! What a pair, huh?"

"A pair?"

"Anthony and Gloria, the main characters. I did just say to imagine it," Hayden smirked.

Will took the headphones from his ears. "No, she can't fall for him. He's too much like…him."

"Will, I promise to you. I won't let your mom fall for him," Fabian said as the young boy started to tear up. "I won't let your family get ruined."

Will nodded and quietly left the table.

"Poor kid. He doesn't want his own father, yet he doesn't want someone to take that position in his life. He told me it was too soon, but he wants someone that won't desert him. He's a smart kid, and he knows Hayden isn't interested in _her_—just her body and money. He's counting on you to change that—he just wants the best for his family." A few tears slipped down Amber's face.

"I know how he's feeling. Excuse me," Fabian said, standing up. He found Will outside by the pool. "Hey, Will," He greeted, taking a seat next to him.

Will only nodded in response.

"Will, I know how you feel. When my father passed away, my mom married a moron in California. I quickly finished high school and moved away. I couldn't help but imagine how life would have turned out if my father was still alive, or if my mum found someone that loved her _and_ her kids."

"Do you love both my mom and me?" Will asked, a few tears slipping down his face.

"I do," Fabian admitted. "I know; it's unrealistic. I've only known you and your mom for a few weeks—"

Fabian was interrupted when Will hugged him. Fabian, though shocked, hugged back as Will cried. Fabian remembered Nina saying after she gave birth, Rob quickly resumed to beating her. Rob sometimes turned his hatred on young Will. That must have been hurtful—Will thought his father would love him like any other father. He never had a father figure in his life—Fabian was semi-lucky when his father passed when he was about 16. At least Fabian received love from both his mother and father—Will never got that.

And it was that moment that Fabian promised that he would never let Will or Nina down.

* * *

"Come on, slowpoke!" Mara giggled as she leaned against a tree.

A few moments later, Jerome finally showed up, sweaty and out of breath. "Who knew you were a runner?" He trembled.

Mara giggled. "My parents were Olympians; I hate sports, but I'm a natural runner at heart."

"Well, you should be an Olympian yourself, Mara," Jerome wheezed. "I haven't felt this tired since the Willow July case!"

"Willow July case?" Mara questioned as they walked.

"Well, I'm a detective for the NYPD. I solve cases that would take years for a normal person. The Willow July case took a lot of running around—the culprit was clever in covering their tracks."

"Oh, I remember reading about that case in the news. Broadway actress was murdered by her own, jealous mother. Interesting, huh?" Mara said.

"Yes, but the mother quickly gave herself away when she slipped up and said she always wanted to be on Broadway. That was a motive for the young woman's murder. But enough about me. I want to know all about your life as a surgeon."

"How did you know I was a surgeon?" Mara asked.

"Your hands are quick and nimble, but also delicate. You also dress like a surgeon. But carry on," Jerome smiled.

"Well, I was born and raised in Liverpool. After completing college at Oxford, I moved to America. I live in Washington D.C. That's about it," Mara blushed. "But now, I have a question for you. Why are you suddenly interested in me?"

"What do you mean?" Jerome asked, confused.

"We haven't spoken since the night of the dinner—and that was three weeks ago."

"Well, I was a bit preoccupied with a parasite named Joy," Jerome said. "And you seem like an interesting person."

Mara blushed at the compliment. "Your girlfriend isn't a parasite," Mara said as her heart sunk a bit.

"Girlfriend? Joy isn't my girlfriend—just a f-f-f-"

"A friend?" Mara offered. "What, you've never had a friend?"

"No, not really. I was the outcast in high school; I had braces, acne, and I wasn't the fittest chap there."

"So, you reinvented yourself, but you have an anxiety disorder," Mara deduced.

"Correct, Ms. Jaffray," Jerome said. "You are a smart woman."

Mara blushed. "Why, thank you. Hey, what's this?" She asked, bending down. She picked up a silver object and showed it to Jerome.

It was a silver key with strange symbols on it. "I don't know, but we better bring it back to the house," Jerome replied.

* * *

"Where's Jerome?" Joy asked, seeing only Mick in the living room.

"On a jog with my date," Mick sulked.

"Who's that?" Joy asked, getting a bottle of wine from the fridge. She poured two glasses and offered a glass to Mick. He accepted, leaning back before answering.

"Mara," Mick said.

"Mara? Who's Mara?" Joy asked, sitting across from him.

Mick raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, you don't know who Mara is? The pretty woman with dark hair?"

"Nope, not a clue," Joy shook her head, taking a long sip from her glass.

"Of course; you only care about _yourself_." Mick muttered, setting the glass on the table, clearly disgusted.

"Myself? You're a hypocrite!" Joy snapped. "You think I don't have access to magazines? You are a wannabe bad boy. You are an asshole!"

"And you're a priss!" Mick retorted, standing up. He was now shouting as well.

"Me, a priss?" Joy questioned, stepping closer. "Now, you're just making things up!"

"Oh, please!" Mick scoffed. "You prance around like a pretty princess! You have designer clothing, and you probably own a penthouse in both California and New York!"

Joy was silent. "I live in East Village, and I'm wearing clothes I've made myself. I do not prance around like a princess, because I'm not a princess. Get that through your thick skull, okay?"

* * *

**I was going to end the chapter there, but I'm not a bitch. Enjoy a few more words!**

* * *

While Mara made dinner, Jerome was researching the symbols on the key. He often slammed his laptop in frustration, but Mara thought that was normal for someone suffering from an anxiety disorder.

"Any luck?" She asked, leaning against the counter.

"No, because I have no idea what these symbols are," Jerome replied, running a hand through his hair.

"Should we just turn the key into the office?" Mara asked.

"Nope, I want to know what this is. I have a feeling that the manager is hiding something."

"Hey, how about we ask Fabian? He's an archaeologist," Mara suggested. "He's in his room; you should go and check."

"Perhaps he could be helpful," Jerome admitted. "I'll be back." And Jerome disappeared down the hall. He knocked on the door at the end of the hall. He heard a faint 'come in', before he pushed the door open.

Fabian was at his desk, typing out a long letter or e-mail. He immediately closed the window when he saw Jerome.

"Love letter to your girlfriend, Rutter?" Jerome smirked. "Don't worry; I won't tell."

"What do you want?" He rolled his eyes.

Jerome pulled the key from his pocket. "I want to know what this means," He said, shoving the key at him.

Fabian grabbed the key, flipping it over to read the back. His eyes widened in surprise. "Where did you find this?" He asked. He was both eager and frightened—an interesting combination.

"Mara and I found it in the woods. Do you actually know what this means?" Jerome questioned.

Speechless, Fabian simply nodded.

* * *

**Okay, I'm closing the poll. Listen; the poll results are off, so don't flip out! Though, I might have already deleted the poll by the time you read this. I've counted the anon votes, and it was close. The winner, by a margin of three votes, is…**

**JARA AND MOY! Congrats, Jara and Moy shippers. **

**For you Jeroy and Mickra shippers, I'm including those ships in two new stories I'm writing. Don't worry!**

**This chapter is just a filler chapter, but the next chapter deals with Sibuna and Peddie development.**

**-Morgan, xoxo**


	8. Chapter 8: House of Formation

**Anything Could Happen**

**Okay, so I'm going to publish a new story. But I have two different concepts (the central couple is Fabina), and I want to know which story to write. So, I'm opening a poll. I'll post summaries of the two stories at the end of this chapter. Please, please vote! Oh, Jeroy and Mickra shippers; both stories will include Jeroy and Mickra.**

**Fun fact: Anyone that watches PLL and loves Toby? Remember that flashback with Alison and Toby in season 3? Well, it was when he was in juvenile detention, and he looked like a gangsta? I have that picture (as well as his abs) saved on my phone and as my wallpaper. And no, I'm not a creep; just a fan girl.**

**This chapter includes the following:**

**-A pool scene that was based off of 'Just Go with it'**

**-Sibuna formation (though, they aren't called Sibuna yet)**

**-Jerome and Amber tripping Hayden Finch (that was so fun to write!)**

**-Jerina friendship**

**-Fabian/Jerome friendship**

**-Jamber scheming **

**-Will, Jerome, and Amber embarrassing Hayden**

**-Mystery development **

**-Fabina!**

**-Peddie!**

**-A slight trigger for child abuse (if this could give you a trigger, don't read the Peddie scenes. Footnote 2 is when the trigger might start, but it's different for everyone out there…)**

**Chapter 8—House of Formation**

Fabian and Jerome knocked on Will's partly opened door. Will was on his bed, watching a cartoon. A beach bag was on his bed, and he was dressed in a tee and swimming trunks.

"Will, do you know where your mom is?" Fabian asked.

"She's in Amber's room. We're going to the pool in a few. Why, do you need her?"

Jerome smirked. "Well, Fabian here is a bit desperate—"

Fabian glared, before he left the room. Jerome saluted Will and followed after him.

"You have to admit; that was clever," Jerome argued. "And can you please tell me why we need Nina?"

Fabian didn't answer as he knocked on Amber's door. Amber answered, a scowl etched on her face. "What? We're trying to get ready—"

"Is Nina there?" Fabian asked.

The door was pushed aside to reveal the dirty blonde. She was dressed in a pair of jean shorts and an old Yale shirt—must have been her father's. Underneath the oversized shirt, the strap of her bikini was popping out.

She smiled. "Care to join us, Fabian? We're going to the pool."

"I bet he would—"

Jerome was cut off when Fabian elbowed him. "Actually, we have something to show you," Fabian said, turning to glare at Jerome.

Nina followed them down the hall where Fabian pulled the key out of his pocket. "Recognize these symbols?" He asked.

Nina gasped. "Guardians of Anubis!"

"Guardians of Anubis? That's the name of the retreat," Jerome noted. "But what does it have to do with the key?"

Nina was silent as she ran back to her room, Fabian and Jerome following. She pulled the violin from under her bed. She turned the violin over to reveal a tiny keyhole.

"I found this when I was examining the violin. Do you think the key will work?" Nina questioned.

"It's worth a shot," Jerome answered.

Nina took the key and pushed the key into the tiny keyhole. She turned it, and a loud cracking sound signaled that the key had worked. The violin cracked in half, nearly falling out of Nina's hands.

She picked up a piece that looked like a tiny, wooden rod. Hieroglyphs were written all over the rod.

"That's a sound post," Jerome noted, examining the rod. "I used to play the violin, and I had to adjust the damned thing every few weeks."

"Where exactly did Eddie find the violin?" Fabian wondered aloud.

"I'll ask him when he gets back from the gym," Nina said. "Who wants to keep this?"

Fabian reached forward and grabbed the sound post, his fingers brushing hers. He blushed, before speaking. "I could work on translating the hieroglyphs," He offered.

Nina smiled. "How about you join us at the pool?" She blushed. "You're welcome to join us, too, Jerome," She added.

Fabian opened his mouth to answer, but Jerome answered for him. "Sure! We'll be there in a few!" Before Fabian could ruin his plan, Jerome slapped Fabian on the back, leaving him speechless.

Nina looked confused, but she sent him the same, radiant smile and disappeared back to Amber's room.

Fabian turned to glare at Jerome. "What the hell was that?" He questioned.

"I'm your wingman, Rutter. God knows you need love in your life. When was the last time you had a girlfriend? Oh, don't tell me high school…"

"It was junior high, and I don't need a wingman or your help," Fabian protested.

"Oh, really? If I hadn't stepped in, you'd be in your room, sulking and deciphering hieroglyphs. Now, you're going to the pool with her…and a few others, but it's a decent start!"

Fabian rolled his eyes before walking off to his room.

"I didn't hear a thank you!"

* * *

Patricia was asleep in her room when the doorbell rang. Since she was the only person home, she had to drag herself downstairs. She was supposed to spend the day with Eddie, but she declined, feeling tired for some reason.

She expected a package for Amber or even a delivery for Katherine, whom was addicted to novels. But she didn't expect two, bruised children at their doorstep.

"May we come in?" Juliana asked.

Patricia could only nod as she helped Juliana and Francis in the cabin. Juliana was carrying two bags. Francis couldn't carry anything because his arm was still broken.

Patricia seated the twins on the living room's couch as she called Eddie.

"Eddie? You might want to get home now…Francis and Juliana are here," Patricia said, glancing at the terrified children. "And they look scared."

* * *

Will stared at the pool, frowning. Nina noticed this, crouching down to look her son in the eye.

"You don't have to swim in this pool," Nina said. "We can just sit at the poolside or swim at the shallow end."

"No, I can do that. Mom, you should go and swim."

"William Jacob Martin! I'm not leaving you alone!" Nina protested.

Fabian, whom was walking by, overheard their conversation. "Why would you leave him alone?" He asked.

Will glanced down, frowning. "I don't know how to swim."

"He won't let anyone teach him," Nina whispered, running a hand through her son's hair.

Will mumbled something. "…I want Fabian to teach me how to swim."

Both Nina and Fabian looked shocked.

Fabian broke the silence. "I'll teach you how to swim, Will," He agreed.

"Really?" Nina asked.

"It'll be my pleasure," Fabian laughed, ruffling Will's hair. He turned to find Nina staring at him, a look of admiration on her face. Fabian felt a sudden surge of confidence, and he winked at her. "It'll be okay; just go and enjoy the pool. We'll meet you in a few."

Nina blushed. "Okay. See you later, Will," She said, kissing Will on the forehead. "Bye, Fabian."

Fabian waved as she walked over to Amber and Jerome. Amber was tanning, waving at Nina to join her. Jerome was sitting in a hammock, reading. Nina shook her head, pulling her shirt over her head and the jean shorts from her legs.

_Whoa._

She caught the attention of every male over the age of 18. She nonchalantly ignored the stares she received and dived into the pool. And was that a tattoo on her lower back—

"—Fabian!" Will said, snapping Fabian from his slightly inappropriate thoughts.

"W-what?" Fabian replied. Jerome coyly smirked at him, knowing exactly what was going on in his mind. He closed his book, putting his hat over his eyes—he was taking a nap. Maybe Fabian could "accidently" write on his face with Sharpie…

"I said: how did you learn how to swim?" Will asked.

Fabian chuckled. "Well, my father kind of threw me into the pool, and that's how I learned how to swim. But don't worry; I'm not going to do that to you. Let's start from the shallow end and work our way up."

Will nodded, smiling. "You know why I want you to teach me how to swim?"

"No, why?" Fabian asked, removing his shirt.

"Well, my friends told me I should be taught by my father. But since my father is gone, you're the closest father figure I have. Plus, you're way better than my father."

Fabian paused, letting Will's wise words sink in. He smiled, patting Will on the back. "Thanks, mate."

"Mate?" Will asked. "What's that?"

"I'm British. That's just another term for friends," Fabian explained.

"I'm a friend?" Will shyly asked.

"One of the best," Fabian said. "Are you ready?"

Will nodded, glancing at the water. Then, he looked up at Fabian. "Hell yeah!" He cheered.

Fabian raised an eyebrow. "Where did you learn that kind of language?"

"Eddie let me watch 'Just Go with it'." **(1)**

"Might not want to mention that around your mum," Fabian laughed. "And don't use that language in front of her, either."

Will nodded. "Got it."

* * *

Eddie ran into the living room, his eyes searching for his children. They were hungrily devouring food Patricia made for them. But their clothes were torn, and they have minor cuts and bruises on their faces. Patricia was also staring at them, mostly worried, but also confused.

"Daddy!" Francis cheered, finally noticing his father. His arm was still in a cast, but his green eyes still gleamed with happiness.

"Hey, kiddo," Eddie said, carefully picking him up. He ruffled his son's brown locks as Juliana jumped up from her chair and hugged his legs. "Whoa, sweetheart! How did you guys get here? And why do you have bags?" He failed to mention the cuts and bruises; he didn't want to upset them. Also, he was too distracted by a rather large gash on his daughter's face. Her blonde hair was streaked with blood.

Francis's smile fell from his face **(2)**. He nudged his twin sister, whom was more outspoken and slightly older.

"We ran away from home," Juliana whispered, holding her brother's hand.

Patricia spoke up, asking a question that was on everyone's mind. "How did you get those cuts and bruises? And Francis? How did you _really_ break your arm?"

Francis slouched. "Mommy was mad; she was really _mad_."

* * *

"Really, a tramp stamp?" Jerome chuckled.

Nina whirled around, blushing. She was so busy watching her son (and Fabian) that she forgot Jerome was behind her. Her hands instinctively found the tattoo on her lower back.

"Don't bother covering it up; I already took a picture of it and sent it to Fabian's phone," Jerome smirked.

Nina glared at him, putting her shirt and shorts back on.

"You know, he likes you," Jerome said.

"Since when are you his wingman?" Nina questioned.

"Well, I don't 'hang out' with him. But he—and Alfie—are the only tolerable guys here. They aren't meatheads or tied down by a wife," Jerome remarked. "And I want to help him—he is a shy guy, isn't he?"

"Yes, but—"

"Nina," Hayden Finch appeared behind Jerome and Nina. They both swiveled around. He was dressed in a fedora, a polo, nice shorts, and boat shoes **(3). **"What a surprise! Care to join me for lunch?"

As Nina attempted to decline Hayden's invitation, Jerome rolled his eyes and looked at the pool. Fabian and Will were now looking in this direction, almost identical frowns on their faces. Then, he realized that this guy was the problem. He smirked; oh, he was going to have fun with this.

He exchanged a glance with Amber. Amber stifled a giggle and put her oversized tote directly behind Hayden's feet. Hayden was so distracted on getting Nina to go to lunch that he didn't notice it.

"Hayden, I really want to spend the day with a few friends and my son," Nina said, rolling her eyes.

"Then, I'll join you," Hayden smiled, stepping back. His foot caught the material of Amber's bag, and he fell backwards. He clumsily and ungracefully tumbled into the pool, receiving laughs from everyone (the loudest laughs were coming from Fabian and Will).

"HELP! I can't swim!" Hayden screamed, flapping his arms in a poor attempt to save himself.

As Amber moved her bag, Jerome crouched to talk to Hayden. "Oh, those poor shoes! I can tell that you put _a lot_ of effort into your outfit!"

Hayden glared at him before his head went under. A few moments later, his head re-emerged. He spat water as he continued to flap around.

"Really?" Amber scoffed. "Those shoes look like they came from a dump! Don't they, Jerome?"

"Oh, be nice, Amber!" Jerome clucked his tongue. "The poor man doesn't know any better. Nina, would you be a dear and help him out of the pool?"

"I think Will is—oh my god, he's swimming over here!" Nina exclaimed, pointing at her son. When Hayden had fallen into the pool, Will and Fabian were on the other side of the pool. Now, Will was swimming over here—without any help!

Everyone (poolside and in the pool) started to cheer Will on. Finally, he reached where Hayden was struggling.

"Do you know how to swim, Mr. Finch? I could teach you!" Will innocently said, but his eyes were gleaming with mischief.

Hayden glared at the kid, and Jerome saved him the embarrassment and helped him up. Hayden left without another word.

"Oh, Will!" Nina said as Will hugged her.

"I did it!" He cheered.

"Yes, you did, and I'm so proud of you!" Nina embraced Will. Then, she turned to Fabian. "And thank you for teaching him how to swim." And then, she did the unthinkable.

She kissed his cheek.

* * *

Eddie was furious. It was clear as day; Chloe abused Francis and Juliana. She broke Francis's arm, caused the cuts and bruises on their faces, and forced them to the point where they ran away.

Patricia snapped him from his thoughts when she asked, "How did you get here?" She asked softly, her fingers threading through his. In her other hand, she was recording their statements with her phone. That might be helpful in the future; Patricia had a feeling their statements would impact their lives forever.

Chloe, Juliana, and Francis lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while Patricia and Eddie lived in Manhattan (but now, they were in the Hamptons, a few hours from Manhattan). They obviously didn't drive, so how did they get here?

"Well, we had money saved up from our allowance. Also, Francis won a bet on the playground. But we still needed money. So, we stole some money from her purse. We caught a train to Manhattan, saying our mom was on the train with us. But we were lying. We went to your apartment, but your doorman said you were here. We told him our story, and he drove us out here."

Patricia stopped recording and took them to an extra room. Juliana and Francis quickly fell asleep, their hands still intertwined.

Patricia met her husband. He was still in the living room, cradling his head. Tears streamed down his face.

"How did I let this happen to them?" Eddie asked. He sounded broken.

Patricia didn't answer as she walked closer. "It's going to be okay," Patricia said, embracing her husband. "I just called my dad." Patricia's father was a well-known lawyer. "He'll be here in a few days."

Eddie turned to her. "You know, you've just been the one bright spot in all of this." And he kissed her. **(4)**

But no one noticed Juliana watching them from the staircase, a smile on her face.

_It's going to be okay, Juliana echoed in her mind. _**(5)**

* * *

To celebrate Will's achievement, Nina went to make her famous double chocolate cookies. But she was having issues. The oven wasn't working.

You see, they had a fancy, high-tech oven. But it was broken, and a repair man wasn't due for another day. But the cabin had another oven. It was archaic, but still clean. But Nina couldn't get the oven to open.

"Having trouble there, tramp stamp?" Jerome joked as he and Fabian watched Nina struggle with the oven.

"Ha, ha. Laugh all you want!" Nina mumbled.

"Here, allow me," Jerome said, pulling on the oven. But it didn't budge for him either. "What the hell?"

Together, they all started to yank and pull on the latch. Until, Fabian spotted something.

"Wait," He said, pointing to a little indentation on the oven. The same symbols from the sound post and key were inscribed on the oven.

"Guardians of Anubis?" Jerome read. He pulled the sound post from his pocket. "Should I?"

Nina and Fabian nodded, and Jerome inserted the sound post into the indentation. Nina gingerly pulled on the oven door.

The oven door fell open with a loud clatter. The trio peeked into the space. The oven door revealed a secret passageway. It was about the height of a golden retriever. If they crawled and folded their shoulders, they would make it through.

Nina folded her shoulders and started to enter the passageway. Fabian and Jerome followed.

The tunnel let out into a small room. It was in the shape of a circle, and a window poured some light into the room. There was nothing in there except for a table. But on the table, something silver and red caught their attention.

It was a locket, in the shape of an eye.

* * *

**Ah, the plot thickens!**

**I know I've changed the original Sibuna around, but eventually, all members of the house will get involved.**

**(1) I don't own that funny movie. But I love it!**

**(2) Trigger warning. Fun fact: I couldn't remember the rule about apostrophes (Francis's or Francis'?). I nearly spent an hour on grammar sites.**

**(3) Hey, Drmiracle! Have you made it to season 2 of Gossip Girl? Well, if any of my lovely readers have watched season 2 of Gossip Girl, look closely at Chuck's wardrobe from the premiere. Hayden might as well be Chuck Bass's twin brother…**

**(4) Whoever is the first reviewer to correctly guess where I got that quote from, I'll send he/she a preview of the next chapter. Sorry, anons! This is only opened to registered members; I can't send you a PM if you don't have an account.**

**(5) If you were ever abused (or you're being abused now), I'm going to let you know that everything gets better. Everything will be okay. My inbox is always open, if you want to talk.**

**First concept: **

**Play a Song: She's a classical violinist. He's an arrogant, world-famous pop star. What happens when she finds out that she's carrying his child after an old night stand? This story includes Jeroy, Mickra, Fabina, Peddie, and Amfie.**

**Second concept:**

**Troublemaker: He didn't expect to fall for a rebel, acro dancer. But as soon as he did, his life turned upside down. This story includes Jeroy, Mickra, Fabina, Peddie, and Amfie.**

**Please vote!**

**YOU'VE GOT THE LOVE AND CHASING LOVE AND MURDERERS FANS:**

**I'm going to update those stories in a few days. In YGTL, the next chapter is very long and emotional. Chasing Love and Murderers fans, I've changed the concept slightly. The case will involve supernatural aspects.**

**-Morgan, xoxo **


	9. Chapter 9: House of Frights

**Anything Could Happen**

**Okay, I know I promised more Peddie, but in Chapter 11, 89% of the chapter will be Peddie.**

**Chapter 9—House of Frights**

Amber tapped her foot as she dialed her father's number. Last night, her father had urgently called her and left about twenty voicemails.

Her father finally picked up on the twelfth ring. "Amber!" He said, and Amber could picture him at his desk, running a hand through his gray hair. He sounded super stressed; it had to do with the divorce.

"Daddy!" She cried. "What's wrong?" She asked, sitting down at the bar. She ordered a simple glass of wine from the bartender—thankfully, it wasn't Noel.

"Well, your dowry was a bit more than I thought. And the company isn't doing that well, either. Your mother is trying to revive her fashion line, but it's not looking good. Amber, you might have to—"

"I know," Amber sighed. "Can't he wait for a few more months? I just want a nice vacation before I have to go back."

"I'll tell him, but Amber, you have to go back sometime."

Amber sighed. "I know, Daddy." And she promptly hung up. She cradled her head in her hands.

"Hey," A voice said.

Amber swiveled around to find Noel staring at her. He looked adorable in a pair of jeans (non-designer) and a flannel shirt (an ugly hipster color—very Dan Humphrey). He was wearing a pair of scuffed sneakers, and he was tilting his head in a cute, puppy expression. His cuteness made up for the fact that he wasn't wearing designer clothes.

"Noel!" Amber exclaimed, hoping he didn't overhear her conversation. She got up to hug him.

"Jenny?" Noel asked, confused. "Why are you wearing a dress?"

Amber finally realized something; when she met Noel, she wore a pair of simple jeans (designer, but simple) and a vintage t-shirt. Now, she was on her way to a luncheon with Nina (Nina had to tell her something important). She wore an expensive dress and a pair of high heels, a typical Amber-outfit. She panicked; her alter-ego was the polar opposite of the real her.

"Um, I borrowed this from a friend," Amber lied.

"A very rich friend," Noel joked, playing with a long strand of hair. "Who were you talking to? You look made."

"Oh, it's nothing," Amber blushed. "Anyways, what are you doing here? I thought you were in class, and you only worked weekdays?"

"Well, I finished and passed all of my exams with flying colors. You are looking at the valedictorian of the class," Noel smiled. "And I'm quitting my job here. My professor got me a job."

Amber smiled, reaching up to hug him. "Noel, congrats!" Amber exclaimed, kissing his cheek.

Noel blushed, glancing down. "Well, how about you, Jenny? Any good news?"

Amber smiled. "I—"

"Amber!" Nina called as she spotted Amber and Noel.

"Shit," Amber quietly cursed as the dirty blonde headed towards him, oblivious to Amber's alter ego.

Nina was wearing a pretty dress, not unlike Amber's dress. She was smiling, excited to see her friend. But Amber's expression must have been distressed, because Nina's smile slipped off her face.

"You ready for lunch?" Nina asked.

"Nina Martin!" Noel exclaimed. "I love all of your books," He smiled, shaking her hand. "My little sister is literally your biggest fan."

Nina smiled. "Oh, thanks. How do you know my friend here, Am—"

"—I room in the same house," Amber interrupted. "Nins, I'll be in the café in a few minutes. Okay?"

"Okay," Nina agreed, a bit confused. "Nice meeting you, Noel," She smiled, leaving.

Noel turned to Amber. "Who's Amber?"

"Oh, it's my middle name. She likes to call me 'Amber', for some reason," Amber lied, biting her nail. "Well, I have to go and catch up with my friend. Again, congrats, Noel," Amber kissed his cheek.

Noel stared after her, before the bartender tapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but can you give her credit card back? She left it," The bartender said.

Noel grabbed the credit card. "Um, I'm sorry, Leon. This is Amber Millington's credit card."

Leon rolled his eyes. "Wasn't that Amber Millington? You know, the girl you were talking to?" He asked.

"No, that's Jenny Abrams," Noel said.

Leon shook his head, grabbing his iPhone from his pocket. He tapped on the screen, before bringing up a Wikipedia file.

"A month ago, an heiress married Prince Phillip of Monaco. The day after they got married, she was found in bed with a servant. They are getting a divorce, but everything's messed up. Is this your Jenny?" Leon asked, showing Noel a picture of Amber. "If she is, she's lying—that's Amber Millington of Monaco."

Noel grabbed Leon's phone, staring at the picture and hoping the picture would morph into someone else.

"Dude, don't you get CNN or the Internet?" Leon asked, rolling his eyes.

* * *

"So, who was that guy? He's really cute," Nina asked, raising her eyebrows as she and Amber sat at a table.

"A possible boyfriend, maybe," Amber giggled. "But enough about me; why did you call me here? Is it about a certain archaeologist?"

Nina laughed, glancing down. "Well, sort of. Listen, Jerome, Fabian, and I found something that I think you should see."

Amber raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You'll see when we get back to the house. But you're partially right; I want to talk about Fabian...and other things."

"Ah, you've caught my attention," Amber leaned forward, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Well, I want you to be Will's godmother. His current godmother isn't, uh, happy with the position. And you've really connected with him, so why not?"

"I'll be delighted!" Amber exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Okay, back to you and Fabian. What's going on between you two? I saw what happened at the pool. Are you ready to make a move?"

"I don't mean to be stereotypical, but isn't the guy supposed to make the first move?" Nina said.

"No, this is the 21st century, damn it!" Amber slammed her fist against the table. "It doesn't have to be a super romantic move, but show that you're interested. Okay?"

"All right," Nina agreed. Then, a light bulb went off in her head. "And I know exactly what to do."

* * *

"So, why did you want to meet me in the attic?" Fabian asked as he and Nina walked to the attic. "I thought we were going to research the secret—Mum?" He whispered as he came face-to-face with his estranged family.

Nina had set up a Skype call in the attic with his family after she remembered about his divided family. And she thought she should thank him for all of his hard work.

"I'll leave you guys alone," Nina smiled, closing the door.

"Mum, w-w-what's—"

"Your friend is very persuasive," Clarissa smiled sadly. "I'm just sad that it took someone else to bring us together. Nevertheless, it's good to see you, Fabian."

"You, too, mum," He echoed. "How's Jon?"

"I-I-I divorced them a few years back. Turns out, he was only interested in twenty years old. You were right," Clarissa said, tears streaming down her face.

"Mum, don't cry. I'm sorry," Fabian paused. "I'm sorry I ever left. I miss you, Mum."

"I miss you, too, Fabian. The girls have missed you too. Keegan is back in England, and Liz is still here, finishing out her last year of high school. Please come for a visit."

"I will, Mum. I'm in the Hamptons, but I live in Arizona. As soon as the vacation is over, I'll be there. I have plenty of free time," Fabian said, sheepish.

"What do you do?" Clarissa asked.

"I'm an archaeologist."

"Like father like son, huh? I love you, Fabian. Please come home."

"I promise, Mum."

Clarissa paused, cracking a smile. "Are you dating that sweet girl? She's a keeper; she must know the true meaning of family."

"Yes, she does. Even if she doesn't have a family," Fabian trailed off, in deep thoughts. "And Mum, we're not dating."

"Yet," Clarissa laughed. "Make your move before you lose her. You know; your father took me to a planetarium for our first date."

"I'll think about it, Mum."

"Same time, tomorrow?"

"Yes, Mum; I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Night, my love," Clarissa waved.

Fabian closed the laptop, feeling lighter and more carefree. A knock sounded at the door.

Nina peeked in, a guilty smile on her face. "I'm sorry, Fabian. It was stupid, and I should have—"

"No, thank you, Nina. Believe it or not, you have resolved a decade long feud."

"Well, you deserved it. I wanted to thank you for everything you've done: sticking with me after I told you about Rob, helping me with whatever is going on with the Guardians of Anubis, teaching Will how to swim, and—the list can go on and on," Nina giggled.

"Well, thank you," Fabian said.

"No, _thank_ you," Nina corrected, reaching down to collect her laptop. When she stood back up, she found herself close to Fabian—or to be more accurate, Fabian's lips.

She didn't know who instigated it, but she didn't question it when she found herself kissing Fabian. His arms wrapped around her waist, and her arms encircled around his neck.

A knock sounded at the attic door, and they pulled away, embarrassed. Nina straightened her outfit as she walked to the door, blushing slightly. She opened the door, revealing Jerome and Amber.

"Ready to show me…whatever?" Amber asked. "Hey, what's going on here?"

"Oh, nothing," Fabian and Nina chorused, blushing when their eyes met.

"Right," Jerome and Amber rolled their eyes in unison.

Nina and Fabian followed them down to the oven, which was propped open.

"Wait, I'm sorry; you want me to crawl into the oven? I'm out," Amber said, but Jerome pulled her back.

"Come on, Princess," Jerome said, pushing her into the oven. Amber complied, frowning.

But her frown turned into an amazed expression when they entered the chamber.

"What the hell is this?" Amber asked.

"That's what we're trying to figure out. This has to do with the Guardians of Anubis."

"Guardians of Anubis?"

"We found clues around the house, and it led to this place." Nina lifted the hair from her neck as she revealed the silver necklace.

"How—"

Loud thumps sounded from behind them, hidden by a door. They turned, looking at the door.

Nina, Fabian, and Jerome moved further into the chamber.

Jerome and Fabian attempted to open the door, but it was cemented shut. Amber noticed a tiny indentation by the door. It was roughly the shape of Nina's necklace.

"Nins, try your necklace," Amber suggested, pointing to the indentation.

Nina pressed her necklace to the indentation, and the door swooshed open.

Suddenly, a pair of dead, brown eyes stared back at them.

They all screamed, trying to find a way to close the door. But the door never moved.

Jerome, used to seeing dead bodies, was the first to recover. He looked at what was beyond the door. Actually, the body was in a dark blue tank. Beyond the dead man's body were two other tanks—a female was in one tank and a young girl was in the other.

"It's a family," Nina observed, her voice wobbly. "Oh my god," She whispered, feeling the need to vomit. "This is what the nurse and Victor were talking about—they wanted to dispose of the dead bodies in the _tanks_, right under our noses…oh my god…"

"What, nurse?" Jerome asked.

As Nina explained, Fabian noticed a wall opposite of the tanks in the small room. He noticed that the wall was painted. Little points were connected by straight lines. When he stepped back, he noticed a pattern—_constellations_. It was a star map.

Before Fabian could alert the others, identical loud thumps sounded from the oven tunnel. Patricia and Eddie emerged, confused.

"What the bloody hell?" Patricia questioned. She paled when she noticed the dead bodies in the tanks. "Oh, no."

"What the hell is going on here? We heard loud voices, and we tracked you guys," Eddie stated, glancing around the small chamber. "Actually, I heard you guys—and I don't mean to sound weird—but I heard you guys in my head."

"Wait, where did you hear us?" Nina asked, moving away from the tanks. "And not from your head, of course…"

"From our room," Eddie said. "Exactly where I found that freaky violin…that violin has something to do with whatever this is, right?"

Nina nodded. "Eddie, did you notice anything weird in the closet?"

Eddie stepped forward, noticing her necklace. "I saw a bunch of weird symbols and a small hole about the same size of your necklace."

"Guardians of Anubis," Nina deduced. "I need to take a look at your closet," She said, already heading back upstairs.

"Hold on," Fabian called. "See this? It's a star map—looks like an Egyptian star map."

"Are Egyptian maps your forte?" Jerome asked.

"Not really," Fabian admitted.

"No need; there's a planetarium a few miles from here," Amber said, looking up from her iPhone with a smile. "It's very small and local, so there shouldn't be a problem getting a few tickets for a show at late notice. You can also ask the presenter questions after the show. How's tomorrow? They have a noon showing."

"Can't," Eddie said. "Patricia and I have a meeting with lawyers."

"I promised to visit my sister in the city, sorry," Jerome apologized, not sounding sorry.

"And I have an important Skype call with Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors; they want me to model their fall collections," Amber grinned. "Looks like you two have to go alone! Don't worry; I think Will can hang with Juliana and Francis, right?"

Nina and Fabian exchanged glances. Nina smiled and sent a mental message, saying she was fine with the arrangement, even after their kiss.

"Sure, why not? It'll be fun," Nina grinned. Her phone buzzed; it was an incoming call from an unknown number. "Excuse me, I have to talk this." Nina ducked back into the kitchen and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Nina, dear." Hayden Finch greeted.

"Oh, hi, Hayden," Nina greeted, confused. "How did you get my number?"

"Well, being owner of this fine establishment has its' perks," Hayden laughed. "Haven't seen you in a while; I have to apologize for that pool incident. I have a slight bit of a temper," He coughed. "How about I make it up to you? I can take you into the city tomorrow, and we can go to my favorite bar? Maybe get a room at the St. Regis?" His voice was hopeful, but his offer was too straightforward.

Inviting a girl he barely knew to a hotel room? Nina wasn't stupid, and she was well-guarded after Hurricane Rob nearly destroyed her life.

"No thanks, Hayden," Nina declined and felt the need to voice her thoughts. "You barely know me, and you're inviting me to a hotel room? I'm not that kind of girl, and I'm not that stupid. Plus, I actually have plans tomorrow."

"Nina, I didn't mean it like that. I just want to get to know you better," Hayden pleaded.

"Well, do it like everyone else—sit down and actually talk to me," Nina said with an edge in her voice.

"It's about him, isn't it?" Hayden asked, raising his voice.

"Are you talking about Will?" She asked, quickly defending her son.

"No, I'm talking about that git you're always with," Hayden said. "You have feelings for him, don't you?"

"Hayden, that's none of your business!" Nina snapped. "I don't like the way you're talking to me, and I hope you'll never call me again. But for your information; his name is Fabian, and he's way better than you'll ever be."

"You'll regret this," Hayden's voice turned cold. He laughed a bit into the phone. "Don't they all?" Then, he hung up.

Nina shivered; Hayden was turning into…well, Rob. She tried not to be frightened as she attempted to discard those terrible memories from her mind. Nina turned to find Fabian staring at her.

She laughed without humor. "You heard everything, didn't you?"

"Nina, he can't threaten you like that," Fabian exclaimed. "The bastard can't get away with making you feel this way!"

"Well, Rob did, and I guess Hayden can, too," Nina stated. "I'm fine, Fabian. Hayden's probably just bluffing. I'll stop talking to him, he'll throw a hissy fit, and it'll be over in a few days." And Nina left for her room. But Fabian knew she was crying; he could hear it in her voice, and her shoulders shook with tortured sobs.

Fabian couldn't let Nina regress into a depression; he couldn't bear to lose her, and William would be devastated. So, he grabbed his phone and tapped out an angry message to Hayden.

**Fabian.**

**Leave Nina alone, or you'll regret it.**

**Hayden.**

**Ooh, I'm so scared. But I'm serious about this. I'm never letting her go. Ready for the fight of your life, Rutter?**

**Fabian.**

**Bring it on.**

Hayden had one thing right; Fabian was ready for the fight of his life, and he wasn't losing this one.

* * *

**So, I actually work (read: have an internship—no money for moi!) at a planetarium. I know how to work the program we use to project images onto the dome. And the presenter in the story, whom will be appearing next chapter, is based off of one of the four presenters in the planetarium—not my boss, but still a good friend.**


	10. Chapter 10: House of Stars

**Anything Could Happen**

**I picture Katherine as Katherine Pierce, Elena Gilbert's (The Vampire Diaries) doppelganger. So, she's sexy, a nerd, and is in a love/hate relationship with Alfie.**

**Just to clear up: I'll be a freshman (in high school) this fall. (Though, I'm already taking high school English and Algebra courses.) The planetarium I work for hires students from the middle and high schools. We don't get paid (in money, but we get paid in rewards) or run shows. But we mostly assist by running errands, directing people to their seats, and running the gift shop.**

**Does anyone watch Awkward? I heard it was good, and I'm looking for Season 1 & 2 on DVD. (I can't decide if I ship Matty/Jenna or Jake/Jenna.) But I want a fan's perspective of the show.**

**Chapter 10—House of Stars**

"Eddie, Patricia," Patricia's father, Leonard, greeted as the couple entered his office. "Please, sit!"

Eddie and Patricia both sat, preparing for the latest developments in the custody battle.

"Well, I spoke to Chloe and her lawyer personally. It's customary to have mediation, to prevent this case from going to court. But I doubt mediation will help; but it is required. Sorry for the late notice, but the mediation was scheduled for today."

"Today?" Eddie asked.

Leonard grimaced. "I just got word of that yesterday. That's why I called you here, and we have to be there in two hours."

"But we're not dressed for mediation," Patricia added, noting their lack of elaborate clothing.

"That's why your mother is here," Leonard grinned as the doors opened. Patricia's mother, Amy, was the polar opposite of Patricia. She had pretty blonde hair, green eyes, and pale skin. But she had a spunky, tough attitude—an obvious trait found in Patricia.

Amy was carrying two bags from _Barney's_, Patricia's least favorite store. She ran towards her daughter and son-in-law, kissing both of their cheeks. "Oh, I've missed you guys!" Amy gushed. "We are going to win this battle, sweeties," Amy cooed, smoothing Patricia's hair. "That Chloe won't know what's coming when she sees you in this!"

"Mum, this isn't a runway show. My looks won't affect the battle," Patricia rolled her eyes.

"Actually, the better dressed of the two has an advantage. It shows decorum," Leonard added, winking. "Eddie and I will head back to the house to get dressed. We'll be back in an hour, so please be ready. That means you, Amy," Leonard warned after Amy looked around, pretending to ignore what he was saying.

Amy waved. "All right, Leonard." She kissed her husband goodbye. "We'll be ready! Bye!"

Eddie and Leonard left, smiling at their respective wives. Then, they were gone.

Amy turned to her daughter, a smirk on her face. "Now, let's make you more irresistible than ever."

* * *

Nina was getting ready for their trip to the planetarium. So that left Fabian time to think about what he had gotten into.

A fight with Hayden Finch, really? Fabian's decision was illogical and irrational, considering his last physical fight was in junior high, which left Fabian with a split lip and a black eye. And that was a fight in junior high, between two scrawny guys. Who knew what would happen now? Hayden had muscles the size of his head; Fabian was pretty much dead. But he had to protect Nina.

Maybe the fight would be mentally, which was Fabian's forte. Maybe a nice game of chess or _Star Trek_ trivia—

The doorbell rang, and Fabian rose from his place on the couch. He opened the door to find a basket, filled to the brim with various items. A bouquet of roses, expensive jewelry, DVDs of her favorite movies, chocolate-covered strawberries, novels, movie tickets, and other miscellaneous objects were packed into the basket.

"Sir," The deliveryman asked, "Is Ms. Nina Martin here? This is a package from Mr. Hayden Finch."

Fabian rolled his eyes. _Of course; Hayden wanted to play mental games and bribe Nina into his slimy arms, he thought. _But then, he realized something. _He_ was the one spending the day with her, not Hayden.

"She's here," He answered, taking the cumbersome package from the deliveryman's hands. "Could you relay this information back to Mr. Finch, please?" Fabian asked, grabbing a pad of paper and a pen. He scribbled out a message, almost smirking to himself. He handed it to the deliveryman, smiling. "Have a nice day."

The deliveryman was confused, but still tipped his hat as he left.

Nina came down the stairs, brushing her hair. "Who was that at the door?" She asked.

"This is for you…from Hayden," Fabian said, handing the basket to her.

Nina scoffed. "When will he realize I can't be bought? Though, this basket is interesting. He gave me a few autographed novels, _Breakfast at Tiffany's_, and a—oh," Nina quietly whispered, holding up a small box.

Fabian felt his heart clench. It was about the size of her palm, and the Harry Winston engraving was clear as day.

Nina opened the box and sighed audibly. "It's just earrings," She whispered, relieved. She closed the box, gently placing it back into the package. "Do you mind if we make a detour at the office? I want to send this back to him."

And it was that moment that Fabian realized Hayden didn't have her heart. And that made him sick to the stomach; maybe he shouldn't have sent that message to Hayden…

* * *

Hayden calmly took a drag of his cigarette as his deliveryman fidgeted nervously. He put his cigarette down, picking up a glass of brandy.

"Was she there?" He began.

The deliveryman shook his head. "She was, but another guy answered the door. He took the basket, promising to get it to her, but he handed me this," The deliveryman said, giving Hayden the sheet of paper.

Hayden set his glass down, reaching for the paper. His eyes scanned it, narrowing with anger.

Hayden stood. He took a few steps before throwing his glass at the nearest wall. It exploded, shards flying everywhere. The deliveryman covered his head and cowered, but Hayden didn't even flinch.

"You're dismissed," Hayden said, laughing a bit.

The deliveryman scurried from Hayden's library. Hayden walked over to his window, staring outside.

"You'll have her soon," A raspy voice spoke from deep inside of Hayden. "Don't worry; when I promise something, I will never break that promise."

Hayden crumpled up the message, a twisted smile on his face.

* * *

"Oww, Mum! Watch the boobs!" Patricia snapped when her mother attached a brooch to her jacket.

"Sorry, sweetie, but I wasn't anywhere near your boobs," Amy noted, raising an eyebrow at her daughter's strange behavior.

Patricia yawned, but remained silent.

"Okay, Trixie," Amy said, attempting to zip up her daughter's dress. It was a tight sweater dress, but the dress was a bit tighter than usual. "Geez, this zipper is messed up-"

Patricia ran for the bathroom, covering her mouth. She locked the door and vomited.

"Patricia?" Amy called, knocking on the door.

Patricia exited the bathroom, her face paler than usual. "I'm okay, Mum," She croaked.

"Oh, honey, are you sick?" Amy asked, smoothing her daughter's hair. "Do I need to call Dr. Harrison?"

"Mum, I have a grown-up doctor now; Dr. Harrison was my pediatrician," Patricia rolled her eyes. "But it would help if we stopped by Walgreens on the way to the mediation."

"Walgreens? What do you need to buy, honey?" Amy questioned, confused. "Meds? Makeup? Donuts?"

Patricia cracked a smile. "Mum, connect the dots. I just vomited, my boobs hurt, my period is late, I'm tired, I've gained weight, and I eat as much as a teenage boy. Mum, I think I might be pregnant," She choked, tears of joy streaming down her face.

* * *

Joy was seated at the café, a small frown on her face. Ever since Jerome had ditched her for Mara, most of her days consisted of eating chocolate cake and sketching designs.

She ordered her usual before opening her sketchbook. She didn't have much inspiration, so she just drew two solid lines, frowning.

"That doesn't look like art," A voice joked from behind her.

Joy turned to find Mick behind her, a sheepish grin on his face. He slid into the seat across from her.

"May I?" He asked, wondering if she was uncomfortable. "I've been working on my morals," He confessed.

"Sure," Joy answered. They haven't spoken since Joy admitted she wasn't rich, like everyone thought she was.

"That's an interesting outfit," Mick commented.

Joy stared down at what she was wearing: a pair of boots, black shorts, pull-up stockings, and an oversized gray shirt. Her usual curly hair was straightened and pulled into a tight ponytail. This was far from her typical dresses and heels.

"I forgot to dress up," Joy laughed. "Do I look weird?"

"No. You look quite the opposite," Mick noted, smiling at her.

"Are you flirting with me to make up for your snotty attitude a few weeks?" Joy asked.

"What, I can't flirt with a pretty girl?" Mick stated. "And I am sorry about what I said a few weeks ago. To make it up to you, how about I treat you to a nice lunch and movie in the city?"

"Mick Campbell, are you asking me out on a date?" Joy raised an eyebrow.

"What if it is?" Mick said, nervous.

"Well, let's go," Joy said, getting up.

"Wait, so you're just going to accept?" Mick scurried after her, putting a few bills on the table.

"Yeah, so?" Joy replied.

Mick raised an eyebrow. "Have you been asked out by a billionaire, football player lately?"

Joy laughed. "It happens every once and awhile. So, that means I'm very experienced," She winked, taking Mick's hand.

For the first time in forever, Mick's smile wasn't forced or fake. His smile was genuine and carefree—exactly how he felt with Joy.

* * *

Alfie and Katherine stared at the three kids. The trio stared back, equally intimidating expressions on their faces.

"What are we supposed to do?" Alfie whispered to Katherine.

"How am I supposed to know? You're the one that volunteered to watch the monsters," Katherine snapped.

"I thought I was being nice," Alfie said, offended.

"Well, you thought wrong!" Katherine rolled her eyes. "You've always been so naïve and stupid, you know that?"

"And you've been a dictator!" Alfie protested. "When we were in London, you always wanted to control everything: what we ate for dinner, what movie we saw at the cinema, and—the list goes on and on."

"Well, I've always wore the pants in our relationship! You were never that much of a man!"

"Oh, you just crossed the line! Take that back!"

"No!" Katherine argued.

As they argued, they failed to notice Will, Juliana, and Francis slipping out the back door.

* * *

Nina slammed the car door, looking up at the building. "So, this is it?" She asked. "Herschel Planetarium?"

"Yup," Fabian said, locking the car. "Ready to go in?"

Nina nodded, and the pair headed into the building. They found themselves in a waiting room of sorts. Informative posters about the planetariums were taped to the walls. Flat screen TVs were positioned around the room, displaying NASA TV. The radio played in the background. A few people milled around, waiting for the planetarium to open. Nina and Fabian took seats on a bench, far from the others.

"Game plan?" He asked.

"We could show the presenter the map after the show," Nina offered. "Hopefully, she knows what the map means."

The doors opened. An older woman with unbelievably long hair opened the door. She wore dorky glasses, but radiated with confidence.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" She questioned. She smiled, stating, "I'm Lynn Castellan, and I'll be your presenter. Shall we begin?" **(1)**

* * *

"Oh my god," Amy gasped. "Are you sure?"

"That's why I need to take the pregnancy test and go to the doctor before I tell anyone else," Patricia said. "This could easily be another miscarriage."

"Stop," Amy swatted her daughter's arm. "Stop thinking like that," She scolded. Her tone softened. "How far along are you?"

"If I really am pregnant, I'm about a month along. But the pregnancy is very unstable and risky," Patricia warned her excited mother.

Amy ignored her daughter. "Oh, I'm so excited," She gushed. "Oh, I probably shouldn't have picked this kind of dress," Amy frowned.

The sweater dress was made of clingy fabric and stretched across Patricia's small baby bump. If anyone were to look closely, they would know of Patricia's pregnancy.

"No worries," Patricia said, taking off her jacket. She grabbed a longer coat, which now concealed her stomach. "Mum, you can't tell anyone—not even Dad. Promise?"

"Promise," Amy replied.

* * *

"Why are we here, Jerome?" Mara asked. "And why am I blindfolded?" She laughed, nearly stumbling as she blindly walked.

Jerome caught her arm. "You're almost there," He whispered, guiding her further down the hall.

"Are you taking me to a crime scene again? Jerome, I told you; that wasn't funny!" Mara complained, attempting to hit his arm. **(2)**

"I was merely testing your deduction skills," Jerome protested. "And you weren't that bad; you just need to hone your senses, which are weakened by repeated uses of chemicals."

"Well, I am a surgeon, and we just can't cut a person open without—"

"We're here," Jerome interrupted and removed the blindfold from Mara's eyes.

They were in a room with a lone runway and a rack of clothes. Music pulsed in the background; it was the kind of music you expect to hear in a club or at a fashion show.

"Jerome, what is this?" Mara asked, staring open-mouthed at the room.

"Well, I remembered the night of the welcome dinner. You thought you looked horrible. I thought the exact opposite. So, I cashed in a favor; I'm here to make you feel like a star—bright and beautiful. And what's a better way to boost your self-esteem than making you walk the runway in gorgeous clothes?"

"Jerome, that's really sweet of you, but I'm not super thin or curvy. I'm just a plain girl from England with no friends," Mara admitted, tears streaming down her face.

"No friends? Mara, the entire house adores you. _I_ adore you," Jerome said. "And you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met. And believe me; I've met a lot of women."

Mara rolled her eyes before she smiled. "Well, thank you for the effort, but I'm not even modeling in—oh my god, is this Michael Kors?" Mara asked, examining the rack of clothing. "Maybe one dress won't hurt…" She trailed off and ducked into a dressing room.

Jerome smiled, knowing his mission was a success.

* * *

The lights in the planetarium dimmed as the show, _Dawn of the Space Age_, began. **(3) **Lynn had explained earlier than the seats near the center were better, so Nina and Fabian nabbed two seats in the dead center. They were so close that their hands touched, but neither one of them pulled away.

The show was presented in 3-D and was the only full-dome show. Everything looked so animated, like you could reach out and touch it.

It was in the middle of the show when Fabian reached over. "Look to your left," He whispered.

Nina turned to see a mural painted on the side; it was the exact Egyptian star map from the tunnels. "Whoever painted it in the tunnels has been here," She whispered back.

* * *

As soon as their car pulled up to the courthouse, the mother and daughter jumped out of the car, ignoring their husbands' confused glances.

"We'll be back," Amy shouted as she and Patricia made a beeline for the bathroom. "Girl stuff!" She added.

Patricia rolled her eyes as they entered the bathroom. Amy handed Patricia the pregnancy test.

"Okay, honey, do you know what to do?" Amy asked, forgetting her daughter had about five miscarriages before. "Oh, sorry, stupid question. Proceed…"

Five minutes later, the timer dinged. Amy and Patricia held their breath as Patricia turned over the stick.

"Holy shit," Patricia whispered. "I'm really pregnant."

Amy stared in shock, but her eyes weren't trained on her daughter or the pregnancy test—it was behind Patricia.

Chloe Hastings leaned against the bathroom stall, a smirk plastered on her pretty face. She was wearing a tight pencil skirt, a sheer blouse, and high heels. Her long brown hair spilled over her shoulders, complementing her sexy glow. "Hello, darling," She taunted in a faux-British accent.

"Oh, fuck," Patricia whispered.

Seeing that Patricia and Amy were frozen in surprise, Chloe took this opportunity to escape.

* * *

Nina and Fabian walked up to Lynn. "Ms. Castellan?" Nina asked.

"Yes?" Lynn didn't even look up. "Morgan, go and shut down the computers," Lynn commanded. **(4)**

The short girl nodded and scurried off. But then, Morgan turned. "And just to let you know, you guys are my OTP," She whispered before disappearing. **(5)**

"Ignore her. What can I do for you?" She asked, now giving them her full attention. "You have five minutes before I have to teleport to Germany to give a presentation."

Nina turned to Fabian, trying to come up with a good cover story.

"Um, we're thinking about buying a house," Fabian blurted, not fully thinking. "The former occupants left this on a wall, and we would like to know what it is," He asked, showing Lynn the Egyptian star map.

"Oh, I know what that is. It's a mural, and it was painted by a former student assistant. Morgan? What was that girl's name?" Lynn asked the girl, whom had mysteriously popped up next to Lynn.

"Sarah Frobisher-Smythe," The girl replied, before walking away to tidy up the waiting room.

Nina remembered the name from the violin. "What was she like?" She asked.

"She was a quiet, interesting girl. She loved to paint. She always said her paintings were life-changing. She volunteered to paint a mural for the planetarium—that was the last thing she did before she left mysteriously. She was home-schooled, but never told us where she lived. All she mentioned was that she lived in the Hamptons. Her parents were weird like that. They never let her have friends or talk to anyone. I thought it was a protective thing—the girl was seriously pretty—but I guess foreign parents are crazier than usual."

"Foreign?" Fabian questioned.

"The Frobisher-Smythes travel all over the globe. I don't know why, but they're wealthy if they live in the Hamptons."

"Ms. Castellan, how did Sarah look?" Nina asked. She felt like the puzzle was coming together but the pieces weren't fully assembled yet.

"Sarah had the looks of a fairy or a pixie. She was about fourteen, and she had pretty blonde hair and blue eyes. She was very short, about 4'11."

_Really short…blonde hair…blue eyes…young girl…_

"How did her parents look?" Nina inquired further.

Ms. Castellan looked perplexed, but she still continued. "The father had dark hair and brown eyes. The mother had light hair and blue eyes, like her daughter."

_Dead brown eyes…family…_

Nina gasped as the puzzle pieces came together.

The Frobisher-Smythes were the dead people in the tanks.

* * *

Alfie slammed the door, sighing. "Not here."

Katherine screamed. "Where did those monsters go? This is your fault, Alfie."

"My fault? You're the one that distracted their babysitters," Alfie argued.

Katherine was silent. "Hey, I didn't agree to babysit!"

Alfie rolled his eyes. "I'm so glad we broke up."

"I'm so glad I dumped you," Katherine bitched.

"No, I dumped you!" Alfie replied. "At least, that's how I imagined it…"

"No, Alfie, you've got it all wrong," Katherine rolled her eyes. "_This_ is what happened..."

* * *

"_Alfie, did you get the tickets to Pitch Perfect?" Katherine asked her boyfriend as she got dressed. Her brown hair was curled in her usual, seductive manner. She was wearing skinny jeans, a tank top, a leather jacket, and riding boots. _

_Alfie nodded. "And I got tickets to the sing-a-long version," He proudly said, hoping this would impress her._

"_Alfie!" She complained. "Don't you know that other people can't sing? You're lucky I love you," Katherine said, kissing him._

_Alfie blushed. "And I also got this." He handed her the latest James Patterson book. And not to mention, the book was autographed._

"_Alfie!" She squealed, hugging him. "You're being extremely generous—you aren't going to kidnap me and take me to an alien convention, are you?" She questioned._

"_Wait, you forgot? I thought that was why we were going to see Pitch Perfect?" Alfie asked, confused._

"_Forgot what?" Katherine was too busy reading the prologue._

"_Our three year anniversary," Alfie replied, and his voice sounded broken._

_Katherine glanced up to find her boyfriend in tears. "Oh, Alfie—"_

"_No, I'm tired of this, Katherine!" Alfie shouted. "You've been forgetting dates. You've been staying late at school! You never answer my calls, saying you were taking a test. We barely hang out anymore. You've been snapping at me more, and I've been nothing but nice to you. Please, tell me what's going on."_

"_I'm seeing someone else," Katherine murmured._

_Alfie heard, but he wasn't sure he was hearing correctly. "What?"_

"_I'm seeing someone else!" Katherine shouted. "You're boring, Alfie!"_

_Alfie stared at her in shock. "So, for the last three years of my life, I thought you were the one for me. And to think, I was going to propose tonight," Alfie said, revealing the ring he had in his pocket. "But now, I never want to see you again, Katherine Montgomery."_

_Alfie stormed out of the apartment and left a devastated Katherine in his departure._

_A few moments later, he walked back in. "Actually, this is our shared apartment," He sheepishly stated._

"_Not anymore, because I'm moving in with my new boyfriend," Katherine responded, pulling suitcases from the closet. She stormed into their room and started to pack clothes. "And FYI; if you would have proposed, I would have rejected you so hard, your nonexistent grandkids would've felt it. And no one breaks up with me; I'm dumping __**you**__, Alfie Lewis!" Katherine immaturely said as she exited Alfie's life for good (no, not really)._

* * *

"Ha! That proves it; I broke up with you!" Alfie said.

"That doesn't count," Katherine noted, rolling her eyes. "Whatever, let's find those kids."

"Hey, Katherine?" Alfie stopped her in her tracks, but she didn't turn to face him. "Do you still remember that day?" He shyly asked.

Katherine blushed. "Yes, Lewis, because I suffered through mediocre sex with the guy I moved in with."

"So, I'm a better lover?" Alfie boasted.

"Don't let this go to your head, but yeah." And Katherine turned to wink at him.

* * *

"Where did that skank go?" Amy asked as she and Patricia tried to find Chloe before the mediation began.

"I don't know, but this isn't good. What if she uses this in the case? What if she tells Eddie?" Patricia started to freak out.

Someone caught her elbow; it was Leonard. "Guys, the mediation is about to begin. Let's go," He said, pulling Amy and Patricia towards the room.

Patricia nervously gulped as they entered the room. Chloe, her sister, and her lawyer were talking quietly in a corner. They all looked up when Patricia and Amy entered the room.

Patricia found her seat next to Eddie, but didn't take her eyes off of Chloe. Before she could say anything, the doors swept open.

A woman that strongly resembled Daisy Buchanan from the latest _The Great Gatsby _remake entered the room.

"Hello," She chirped. "I'm Kate, and I'll be your mediator!" She sensed the tension in the room and continued without a second thought. "How about we introduce ourselves? Let's start with you," Kate smiled, pointing to Chloe.

Chloe flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Chloe Hastings," She practically sang, winking at everyone.

"And I'm Gemma Hastings," Her sister chimed, also flipping her hair over her shoulder. Like her sister, she was very pretty and snobby as hell.

"Mr. Peter McMillian," Chloe's lawyer shifted, and Patricia could see that his hands were on both Chloe's and Gemma's exposed thighs.

Patricia nudged her father and mother. "McMillian is sleeping with Chloe and Gemma," She whispered.

"How can you be so confident?" Leonard asked.

"Honey, anyone with eyes could tell that those three have done the deed," Amy rolled her eyes.

"And who are you?" Kate pointed to Eddie, a more-than-friendly smile aimed in his direction.

"Eddie Sweet," Eddie said, nonchalant of her flirty attitude.

Kate grinned and pointed to Patricia.

"Patricia Williamson-_Sweet_," Patricia said, sending a venomous smirk in her direction.

Kate's smile dissipated, but she continued.

"Leonard Williamson."

"Amy Williamson."

"Okay, now that I know you better, let's start discussing your opinions. Joint custody?" She asked.

"NO!" Eddie shouted, but calmed when Patricia set a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, boy!" Kate let out a nervous titter. "It says here that Chloe has full custody while Eddie sends child support checks and has partial custody every Thanksgiving and summer. What has changed?"

Leonard answered. "My client wants to take sole custody of Juliana Louise Hastings-Sweet and Francis James Hastings-Sweet."

Kate whistled. "Those are some names!"

"Well, this idiot," Chloe jerked her thumb in Eddie's direction. "This idiot wanted the kids to have his last name. Attaching our last names was the compromise."

"Hey, no name-calling!" Kate scolded. "Okay, let's start some questions, which have been prepared by both lawyers. Chloe, while you receive child support checks from Eddie, are you currently employed?"

"Yes," Chloe answered, linking her arm through her sister's. "My sister and I are both Victoria's Secret models."

"Then, why did you call me about a month ago to borrow extra money?" Eddie asked.

"I was just employed a few weeks ago, Edison," Chloe coolly replied. "Next question, Kate."

"Oh, okay," Kate said, confused. "Eddie, how will you provide for Juliana and Francis between your needy wife and your job as a music producer?"

"Needy wife?" Eddie questioned. "Patricia isn't needy. And my job is very flexible, so I can work from home."

"I see," Chloe smirked. "Now, why do you want to take Francis and Juliana from me? You know we came to a decision about a decade ago."

"You broke up with me, not informing me that you were pregnant. Then, a year later, a letter shows up in my mailbox. You weren't even responsible enough to tell me. And not to mention, you're abusing our _children_!" Eddie shouted, slamming his fists against the table.

"He's lying!" Gemma screamed, attempting to defend her sister. Chloe just stared at Eddie.

"Why would I lie about that?" Eddie asked, anger seeping into his voice. He leaned closer to Gemma, staring her dead in the eye. "Why would Juliana and Francis show up to my vacation home, beaten and saying, 'Mommy was _very_ mad'?"

"Well, you're breaking the law. You currently have Juliana and Francis when you're not supposed to," McMillian spoke up.

"Actually, summer is my time with my children. And look, it's June 20th," Eddie glared at McMillian. "This is well into summer, isn't it?"

"Well, you can't prove that Juliana and Francis were beaten by Chloe," Gemma sneered.

"Actually, his wife took pictures and videos of their confessions," Leonard added. "Ms. Kate, I don't think we're going to come to a resolution. I suggest a court date should be appointed for next week."

Kate sighed. "All right. Bring your evidence for next week. Good luck, guys."

* * *

Nina stared at the mural, comparing it to the mural in the tunnels.

"Hey, Nina! Look at what I bought Will!" Fabian said, sneaking up from behind her. He was holding a bag from the gift shop. "What's wrong?" He asked when he saw her expression.

"Something's wrong. The murals almost look identical, except for one small detail. You see?" Nina blew up the picture and compared it to the mural in the planetarium. "The constellation, Orion, is slightly smaller here than in the tunnels. But Rigel is painted onto an entire brick. I wonder if…" Nina trailed off as she moved the brick. The brick easily gave away, revealing a clean chamber. Nina reached in and grabbed the note.

Fabian and Nina silently read it, their eyes growing wider with every passing second.

_You've passed the test. You are all Guardians of Anubis._

* * *

**(1) I couldn't resist putting a Star Trek reference in there. The movie was amazing.**

**(2) A bit foreshadowing—do you watch Elementary?**

**(3) That's my favorite planetarium show.**

**(4) Well, I made an appearance. **

**(5) That's exactly how I would act if I met Fabina.**

**Tip: If you're procrastinating and need help finishing a chapter, listen to **_**The**__**Great Gatsby**_** soundtrack. I was writing the Joy/Mick scene whilst listening to Over the Love by Florence + the Machine.**

**Oh my goodness! This chapter was nearly 5,000 words, my longest chapter ever! :D You guys keep me writing! **

**Here's the summary for the next chapter:**

_**Patricia and Eddie attempt to get full custody of Juliana and Francis, but will Chloe give up her only liaison to Eddie so quickly? An epic showdown goes down between the two men in Nina's life.**_

**-Morgan, xoxo**


	11. Chapter 11: House of Battles

**Anything Could Happen**

**Sorry for the long wait! I had ECA, finals, and awards! Every year, I compete with my asshole of an ex for awards. (We only dated because we were the two best students in everything—excluding gym.) Every year, he beats me by one freaking award. This year, I thought we would be tied. NOPE! I got seven, and he got eight.**

**Bastard.**

** Okay, back to the chapter! **

**I don't know how custody battles go, but I took a wild guess. I tried to make it look like it was a fair trial, but you can be the judge of that.**

**WARNING: The courtroom scene might contain triggers for the former abused. Read at your own discretion. Plus, the scene with Hayden and Fabian is a bit…bloody?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Breakaway**_** by Kelly Clarkson or **_**I Just Can't Wait to be King**_** from the **_**Lion King**_**.**

**Chapter 11—House of Battles**

A knock sounded at the door. "Come in," Patricia called as she adjusted her necklace.

Francis and Juliana poked their heads through the door. "Trixie?" Francis quietly called.

Patricia smiled. She knew it would take a long time before Francis and Juliana would call her 'mom'. So, she suggested her nickname, and it stuck.

"What's up?" She asked as the children entered the room. Francis sat at her feet, and Juliana crawled onto her lap.

"Why is Daddy mad at Mommy?" Juliana whispered.

Patricia sighed. She knew this confrontation was coming. Since Nina had been through this with Will, Patricia asked for some pointers. Nina told her to tell them the watered down version of what was going on.

"Your mommy has some issues, and your father knows you'll be safer with us," Patricia replied.

"Will we ever see her again?" Francis asked.

Patricia hesitated. "Only if you want to, but not anytime soon. You'll be okay, Francis," She quickly added after Francis's lip started to wobble.

She gathered them in her arms as tears streamed down their faces. To calm them down, Patricia did something she hadn't done in years—she sang to them.

"_I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly_

_I'll do what it takes 'Til' I touch the sky_

_And I'll make a wish_

_Take a chance_

_Make a change_

_And breakaway_

_Out of the darkness and into the sun_

_But I won't forget all the ones that I love_

_I'll take a risk_

_Take a chance_

_Make a change_

_And breakaway"_

And to cheer them up, Patricia sang one of their favorite songs from their favorite movie—the _Lion King_.

_I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!_

_I've never seen a king of beasts_

_With quite so little hair_

_I'm gonna be the mane event_

_Like no king was before_

_I'm brushing up on looking down_

_I'm working on my roar_

Patricia poked Francis's stomach when she sang the last lyric, making him laugh. She began to chase the twins around the room, singing/shouting the lyrics as they roared like little lions.

Francis, Juliana, and Patricia didn't see Eddie at the doorway. He was smiling at his wife and kids, tears forming in his eyes.

He finally had a happy family.

* * *

After leaving Francis and Juliana in Nina's care, Patricia and Eddie started their drive to Manhattan.

But they had to stop five times because Patricia had to vomit. She lied, saying she was nervous. It wasn't a complete lie; she was nervous, but she was also pregnant.

They met Leonard and Amy outside the courthouse. Her mother had an all-knowing grin on her face.

"Coffee?" Leonard offered them.

While Eddie accepted his cup greedily, Patricia glanced at Amy, scared. Pregnant women weren't supposed to drink coffee! But she couldn't very well tell them she was pregnant.

Amy thought fast, smacking Patricia's cup out of Leonard's hands. "Oops! Sorry, darling, but you're going to have to go without your caffeine fix," She said.

Patricia gratefully smiled at her mother, but it was interrupted when a red convertible roared into the parking lot.

Chloe, McMillian, and Gemma hopped out of the car, glaring at the small party. As usual, Chloe was striking. She wore a form-fitting, but traditional black dress. She walked flawlessly in her four-inch heels. Her glowing, peach skin was make-up and blemish free. Her long, brown hair was straightened and fell at her elbow.

Gemma wasn't nearly as stunning as her sister, but she was a close second. She wore a skirt, blouse, and flats (she was 6'2 and didn't need the heels, unlike her 5'10 sister did). Her wavy blonde hair was braided and flowed down her back.

"McMillian looks like a douche," Leonard observed quietly, making his wife giggle.

"Francis and Juliana?" Chloe coolly asked, walking up to them.

"As if you give a fuck," Eddie snapped back.

Chloe gasped. She put her manicured hand on his chest, pushing him back slightly. "Don't you think that kind of language is unsuitable for our children, Edison?" She taunted. "I'm going to ask again: where are Francis and Juliana?"

Eddie harshly laughed. "Did you really think I would bring them here?" He asked.

"Yeah, because Chloe's going to win!" Gemma interrupted, coming to her sister's defense. "Where are they?"

"I'm not telling you exactly where, but they're with a _trusted_ friend," Eddie pointedly added.

Gemma rolled her eyes before she spotted Patricia. She grinned, resembling the Cheshire Cat. "Looking a little fat, Tubby! Someone needs to cut down on your rations!" She taunted, twirling a lock of blonde hair.

Patricia froze. Normal Patricia would have retaliated with a witty comeback. But now, this was pregnant and hormone crazed Patricia. She suddenly felt like crying and eating at the same time.

Eddie gritted his teeth. "Take that back, Gemma," He maintained to say without attacking the tall blonde.

Gemma was about to reply when Chloe decided to step in. "Why should she? It's true, after all! I can practically see her stomach from Pittsburgh!" Chloe tittered, throwing her head back. Her sister joined her. "I don't know how you have sex with her!" Chloe added.

Eddie smirked. "You know that isn't true. If I remember clearly, you were a mediocre lover…at the best."

Chloe and Gemma gasped in union, but Eddie wasn't done.

"And Patricia and I have amazing sex almost every night and—"

"Okay, I don't need to hear about you…deflowering my daughter!" Leonard butted in. He didn't know whether to glare at Eddie or applaud him for his good comeback. "We should really get started. The judge is inside, waiting for us."

One by one, they filed into the courthouse. Patricia grasped Eddie's hand, pulling him back.

"Eddie, there's something I have to tell you," She nervously announced.

"What is it?" Eddie asked, gently stroking her tear-streaked face.

Patricia took a deep breath. "Eddie, I'm—"

"Guys, we really have to go!" Leonard called from the doorway, gesturing them into the courtroom.

Eddie turned to Patricia, whom responded with a wobbly smile. "I'll tell you later," She whispered, pecking him quickly. "Let's go and get _our_ children."

* * *

His father always said that a good run cleared the mind. That got Fabian onto the varsity track team in high school. He didn't consider himself a jock or an athlete, but a runner.

After he and Nina received the mind-boggling note, they went straight to the library. They searched high and low about the Guardians of Anubis, but without avail. Time was running out; soon enough, the people in the mysterious tanks would decompose into nothing but bones.

He considered going to the police, but something told him this wasn't a coincidence. He and Nina were supposed to solve this—not the NYPD or FBI.

But they had no goddamn clue! What were they supposed to guard? Jewels? Money? The Frobisher-Smythes?

Instead of locking himself into the library, Fabian decided to go on a long run. He wrote a note, explaining his whereabouts, before he took off with his iPhone and water bottle.

He was on his fifth mile when he heard someone call his name. Taking off his headphones, he glanced around. Was he going crazy? Maybe it was a figment of his imagination…

"A runner, I see!" Someone cackled behind him.

Fabian turned around just in time to see Hayden Finch emerge from his hiding spot.

"Hayden," He curtly greeted, backing up. He mentally berated himself for not bringing some type of weapon—like a bat or something.

"I got your message, Rutter. It was clever!" He admitted, chuckling. "Spending the day with my Nina? Trying to make me jealous? Cute, but cut it out."

"I wasn't trying to make you jealous or mad—I was trying to get you away from her!" Fabian exploded with anger.

"You just want her all to yourself," Hayden hissed angrily, stepping forward.

"What is this, elementary school? She isn't an object! She's an actual person."

Hayden slammed his hands against the trunk of a tree. "GODDAMNIT!" He roared. His face was red with fury. He was sweating profusely, and he wiped it away with his handkerchief. But that wasn't the weirdest thing. His light eyes were now red and glowed with power. He stumbled towards Fabian, grinning like a madman.

Fabian frantically searched for a weapon. He couldn't engage Hayden in hand-to-hand combat. But he didn't have anything to keep Hayden away. Finally, Fabian spotted a sizeable log. He picked it up and hurled it at Hayden.

Hayden neatly dodged it, chuckling darkly.

"Fuck," Fabian cursed. He continued to throw logs, even throwing his water bottle. But Hayden kept on dodging the objects, getting closer.

Suddenly, Fabian flew backwards. He was airborne for a few moments before he landed at the foot of a tree with a loud crack.

The pain was excruciating; white-hot pain seared through his entire body. Fabian groaned, touching the back of his head. When he pulled his hand back, blood was on his hand. His leg was twisted in a grotesque manner, and he could feel bruises forming on his back. He rolled over onto his stomach, wincing because that also throbbed with pain. Fabian briefly vomited before Hayden pulled him up by his hair. Black dots danced in front of his eyes.

"Still want to fight for her?" Hayden teased as he bashed Fabian's face into the tree trunk. He stopped and punched Fabian in his stomach. "Worthless!" He declared, laughing like a maniac.

Fabian doubled over in pain, but Hayden didn't stop there. Hayden continued to punch and kick him anywhere and everywhere. Soon enough, Fabian dipped in and out of consciousness as he struggled to breathe.

Suddenly, Hayden stopped.

Fabian faintly heard a rough accent, commanding Hayden to cease fighting.

Hayden obeyed, slipping away and leaving a broken and bruised Fabian in the forest.

Fabian formed one last thought before he succumbed to his injuries.

Who saved him?

* * *

The judge surveyed the evidence. "Well, Ms. Hastings," She drawled. "Unless your children are involved in an underground fight club, it's evident Mr. Sweet didn't cause their injuries."

"Eddie's lying!" Chloe whined. "Tell her, McMillian."

"Oh, okay," McMillian stood. "Eddie is lying." Then, he sat back down. "There? Better?"

Chloe rolled her eyes before standing up. "When you want something done, you've got to do it yourself," She mumbled. "Your Honor," She flashed a brilliant smile. "I love my children. I don't know why you're not grilling Eddie over there. He pays child support and has a Goth for a wife."

Patricia gasped, standing. "You little bitc—"

The gavel hit the podium twice. "Mrs. Sweet, please control yourself," The judge sternly said. "Ms. Hastings, stop making ill accusations," The judge pleaded. "Please get to a point."

Chloe sighed. "Your Honor, do you have a husband—"

"Wife," The judge interjected.

Eddie watched humorous as Chloe's coy smile disappeared. He knew she was anti-gay rights while he was pro-gay rights. They argued a lot in high school because Chloe was being a little bitch about it. She was from a conservative, hypocritical family. The apple really didn't fall far from the tree, huh?

"Well, let's say your…wife," Chloe spat, shuddering. "Your wife was pregnant. But say your sister died, and you gained custody of her twins. So, you have twins and a baby on the way. Wouldn't you feel overwhelmed?"

The judge considered this. "Continue."

"Well, I think Eddie shouldn't get the kids because his wife already has a bun in the oven—and how can he take care of twins, a needy and depressed wife with problems, and a newborn?"

"Bun in the oven? Patricia isn't pregnant…" Eddie trailed off, glancing at Patricia.

She nervously bit his lip. "Eddie, she isn't lying…"

Eddie's eyes widened. "You're really pregnant?" He asked. "There's a baby in there?" He asked, pointing to her stomach.

Patricia nodded. "I went to the doctor yesterday."

The judge pounded her gavel. She smiled slightly. "How far along are you?" She asked.

"A month and a half," Patricia mumbled.

"How does Ms. Hastings know?" The judge inquired.

"Does it really matter?" Chloe shouted, crossing her arms. "Can we please get on with the trial?"

"Of course, Ms. Hastings," Leonard smirked. "May I, Your Honor?"

The judge nodded in approval.

Leonard got up, cornering Chloe. "Ms. Hastings, you are aware that Mr. Sweet bought your daughter a teddy bear for her 10th birthday just a few months ago."

Chloe nodded. "Juliana has it in her room…I think."

"She has it in the playroom," Leonard corrected, rolling his eyes. "Did you know there's a camera?"

"A camera?" Chloe exploded.

"That's illegal!" Gemma added.

"Mr. Sweet wanted to make a video for Juliana and Francis, so they can watch themselves age when they get older. Like in those Google Chrome commercials," Leonard added. "You signed an agreement, saying it was okay. See?"

Chloe snatched the document, scanning it. Sure enough, her swirly signature was at the bottom.

"What does this have to do with the case?" The judge questioned.

"Your Honor," Leonard snapped his fingers. A TV cart was rolled in. "When he was editing the video, he discovered something…frightening. Take a look."

The video clearly showed Juliana and Francis playing in the playroom. Suddenly, a drunk Chloe stumbled into the room. She picked Francis up by his arm and pushed him into the wall.

"You look too much like your father!" Onscreen Chloe screamed, slapping Francis. Francis fell to his knees, sobbing.

"Francis!" Juliana screamed but was pushed back by Chloe.

"And you! You're a disappointment!" Chloe taunted, pushing Juliana into a table.

Juliana cried out in pain, and Francis began to cry.

Chloe threw her bottle at the wall, glass shattering everywhere. "That's all you do! WHINE AND CRY!" She began to imitate the crying children.

Leonard turned off the video after seeing some of the expressions from around the room. Even McMillian seemed disturbed.

The judge cleared her throat. She was close to crying. "Any more evidence?" She questioned as her voice cracked.

Everyone shook their heads.

Chloe bowed her head in shame. It was over.

The judge banged her gavel. "I withdraw the custody of Juliana Louise Hastings-Sweet and Francis James Hastings-Sweet from Chloe Hastings. I bestow full custody of the twins to Eddie Sweet and Patricia Williamson-Sweet. I'm reporting Ms. Hastings for child abuse charges; it's in the DA's hands now. Case closed." The judge forced a smile before slipping out the back door.

The silence was deafening. It was broken by Chloe's wail. Gemma stepped forward to comfort her sister, but Chloe pushed her away. She stomped over to Eddie and Patricia.

Eddie was thanking Leonard and Amy, but Chloe rudely interrupted with one, last dramatic speech.

"Why?" She asked Eddie. "Remember what we used to have? We can still have that, Eddie!" She pleaded, tears streaming down her face. She attempted to hug Eddie, but he pushed her away. "Please?"

"Chloe, I never want to see you again. Leave me and my family alone," Eddie coldly said. He wrapped an arm around Patricia's waist, kissing her forehead. "Goodbye, Chloe." And he was gone.

"That could've been me," Chloe stated, sniffling. "I have to get him back."

"Chloe, you just lost Francis and Juliana. They were your only liaison to Eddie. Give it a rest, sis?" Gemma rolled her eyes.

Chloe ignored her sister. She marched up to McMillian. "You were supposed to win this for me!" She hissed.

"I didn't know _you_ were abusing them! You lied and said Eddie was abusing your children." McMillian argued. "I was abused by my father, and I think you're the most disgusting thing on the planet." And he stormed out. "I hope you rot in hell!" He shouted over his shoulder.

Chloe trembled with anger. But she maintained her cool as she grabbed her cell phone and dialed a number.

"What the hell are you doing?" Gemma asked but was silenced by Chloe's voice.

"Hi, do you have any two-bedroom apartments available in Manhattan?" Chloe asked. "Perfect. Will it be ready in time? Good. I'll be there in a month to take ownership. Bye." She ended the call and turned to face her sister, a sinister grin on her face. "Sis, what do you think about the Big Apple?"

"C, what did you do?" Gemma asked, stepping away.

"G, we're moving to Manhattan," Chloe smiled.

"But Chloe, Eddie and Patricia live there," Gemma pointed out.

"I know—I'm not giving up without a fight. I don't care if it takes the rest of my life."

* * *

The next time Fabian gained consciousness, he felt something wrapped around his head. He also heard loud voices, and they wouldn't shut up.

"_Mom, is he okay?" _

"_I hope so. Fabian, please wake up. Mara, is he okay?"_

"_He took a bad beating. But he should wake up in a few. I'll go and check with another doctor."_

His eyes flew open. Bright lights nearly blinded him, and he almost closed them again. But someone blocked the bright light.

"Fabian?"

"God?" He weakly replied.

The figure laughed, and Fabian finally recognized the figure.

"Nina?" He croaked.

"I'm here, Fabian," She said, reaching forward to grasp his hand. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit," He chuckled.

"Quarter for the swear jar!" Will laughed, appearing at Nina's side. Juliana and Francis also appeared on the other side, shyly smiling.

"Hey, Will!" Fabian smiled, ruffling his unruly curls. "Hey, guys," He greeted Juliana and Francis, knowing this was a hard time for them.

A serious expression overtook his young features. "Fabian, are you okay?" Will asked.

And that was when Fabian realized he was in the hospital. He groaned. "Oh, I hate hospitals. What's the damage?"

Nina frowned. "Your leg and ribs are broken. You also have a concussion and minor internal bleeding. You're bruised everywhere. Also, you have a gash on your forehead; you have twelve stitches. Who did this to you?"

Fabian glanced at Will, not wanting him to hear. Will nodded, walking out of the room. Juliana and Francis followed.

"It was Hayden," Fabian whispered. "He surrounded me on the trails."

"Hayden did all of this?" Nina asked, astonished. She stroked a dark bruise. "He must take steroids. Why did he do it?"

Fabian blushed, but it was hard to tell because of the red and purple bruises on his face. "He said some…stuff about you. Then, he snapped when I told him you weren't his property. And here we are," He weakly laughed.

"Fabian, he could have killed you!" Nina protested. "That's it; I'm calling the police and getting that asshole locked up!"

"Nina," He whispered, grabbing her hand again. He gently pulled her back, wincing when pain shot up his arm. He patted the side of his hospital bed, gesturing for her to sit down.

She paused before climbing in, making sure she wasn't hurting him. She snuggled into his side.

"Nina, I think he was possessed. His eyes were red. He wasn't acting like his civilized, dapper self," Fabian argued.

"Do you think it has to do with the Guardians of Anubis?" Nina asked.

"I don't know," Fabian truthfully asked. "But something is definitely wrong."

"No more sleuthing for you, mister," Nina playfully pushed him back. "You need to rest. I'll take care of everything."

Fabian chuckled. "Did you call my mom?"

"Yes, and she's on her way here. I'm picking her up in an hour," Nina responded.

"Thanks; you're the best," He yawned. He felt his eyelids slowly close.

"Go to sleep, Fabian. I'll still be there," She whispered. She hesitated before she leaned over to kiss his cheek. She knew she should probably move, but she was too comfortable. Plus, Fabian had absentmindedly wrapped his arm around her, trapping her.

She leaned back. Maybe a few more minutes wouldn't hurt…

* * *

"Noel!" Amber exclaimed, spotting the familiar man. He frowned and started to walk faster. Amber took longer strides and finally caught up to him. "I thought you quit!" She asked.

"I did; I just collected my last paycheck," Noel coldly responded.

Amber was confused. "Are you mad at me?"

"Mad at Jenny? No. Mad at Amber? Hell yes." Noel whirled around, throwing the newspaper at Amber. "How long were you going to string me along? Lie to me? Take another person's identity?"

"Noel, I-I wanted you to like me for me, not my money or looks. And I wanted a fresh start; I'm already an outcast. For Pete's sake, my reputation is ruined because of a stupid mistake," Amber whispered.

"I wouldn't have judged you. I don't judge anyone based on stupid reports," Noel said. He turned. "Goodbye, J—I mean, Amber."

* * *

"Eddie Jr."

"Let me think about that—no."

"Come on, it's a good name!" Eddie argued as they drove back to the Hamptons. They were discussing baby names, even though they don't know the gender.

"What if our baby is a girl?" Patricia raised an eyebrow.

"…There are a lot of girls named Eddie," Eddie argued. "Or we could make it Addie?"

Patricia was silent, biting her lip. "How about Leslie?" She suggested.

Eddie tensed when she brought up his deceased mother's name. "Maybe…" He said, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

Patricia opened her mouth to reply when her phone beeped. She picked it up. "Oh my god…Fabian's in the hospital. Juliana and Francis are with them," She said, reading the text.

"Which hospital?" Eddie asked without hesitation.

Patricia told him the hospital, and Eddie quickly changed course.

It was silent before Patricia brought it back up. "Eddie, are you okay?"

"Leslie," He repeated. "It's perfect, but I think that should be her middle name," He smiled. "Madison Leslie Sweet."

"Or Logan Niklaus Sweet," Patricia blurted. "It's a nice boy name, right?"

Eddie smiled, kissing her hand. "It's perfect...just like you."

* * *

**Peddie's baby will be a central plot in the sequel. But should the baby be a girl or a boy? Or both? GASP! I want you to vote. Should the baby be a girl or boy? Or should Patricia have twins? I'm opening a poll, so please vote! I'll probably keep the poll open until the sequel comes out.**

**We haven't seen the end of Chloe, but we've seen the worst of her. We're the survivors of Hurricane Chloe!**

**Who was sobbing when the video was playing in the courtroom? I know I was!**

**Okay, so something is definitely up with Hayden. Who saved Fabian? Did the person really save Fabian or sign his death certificate?**

**This is totally off-subject, but I was writing this in the living room. I was thinking about the judge. There are too many male judges, so I had her female. I originally had the court scene different, but I added a bit comical relief when I added in that the judge was a lesbian. I seriously asked my dad, "Have you seen a lesbian judge before?" But this also helped to show how much of a bitch Chloe is.**

**I had fun writing the Patricia/Juliana/Francis scene in the beginning. I don't know if Patricia (Jade) can really sing, but I thought it would be a nice touch.**

**Summary for the next chapter: **_**After eavesdropping on Victor, Vera, Alan, and an unknown voice, they learn what they are after. Sibuna has to find the objects before Victor and his gang.**_

**I would like to hear your thoughts about the chapter (and the next chapter) in your reviews. **

**By the way, the sequel's title is **_**Only **_**You. Like **_**Cosmic Love **_**and **_**You've Got the Love**_**, most of the titles are primarily from one artist. This story's artist will be Ellie Goulding.**


	12. Chapter 12: House of Eavesdropping

**Anything Could Happen**

**HOLY BATMAN SHIT, WE'VE REACHED 100 REVIEWS! Thank you; you guys keep me reading and writing.**

**Chapter 12—House of Eavesdropping**

The road to recovery was slow-moving. After three weeks in the hospital, Fabian had a surgery that stopped the internal bleeding. His ribs healed, the concussion was discontinued, and the stitches were taken out. But Fabian's leg hadn't fully healed.

The hospital reluctantly discharged him, forcing him to stay bedridden for another week. And after Nina promised to watch after her son, Clarissa departed back to California. Fabian vowed that he would visit her mom during her birthday in August. But the night before she left, Clarissa said something to Fabian that rattled his nerves even more.

"You love her, don't you?" Clarissa suddenly blurted as they enjoyed a few cups of tea.

Fabian choked, coughing and sputtering as he tried to regain his breath. Clarissa patiently waited for him to stop coughing, before continuing.

"I can see it in your eyes," She stated, casually taking a sip from her mug. "It's so obvious that a blind person could see it…"

"I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?" Fabian asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't play dumb with me. You love Nina, don't you?" Clarissa said.

"No, I-I don't—it's that obvious, isn't it?" He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Clarissa put her hand over her son's. "Your father used to look at me like that," She said, her eyes softening as she spoke of her late husband. "That's when I realized he loved me. So, why are you holding back?"

"There's another guy, and I'm not sure Will's ready for another father," He confessed.

"Oh, Will is ready, sweetie; I found wedding magazines in his room," Clarissa laughed. "As for the other gentleman, well, the answer is simple." And Clarissa got up and started to walk away.

"Mum!" Fabian shouted, cursing his broken leg as he dangerously got up and hobbled after his mother.

She turned, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "What?"

"What's the answer? If it's so simple, why can't you tell me?" He pleaded, almost feeling like an immature child.

"You fight for her."

* * *

Jerome closed Mara's book, grinning. "What are your plans looking like for tonight?" He asked, jumping into a seat next to her.

"Hanging out with my amazingly cute boyfriend," She answered, smiling.

"Well, he's going to have to take a rain check." When she raised an eyebrow, he continued. "Because I'm taking you to the gala tonight."

Suddenly, Mara got insecure. She started to toy with her necklace. "I don't know, Jerome," She whispered. "How about we have a Disney marathon and snuggle?"

Jerome frowned. "Mara, why don't you want to go?" He asked.

Mara laughed harshly. "Maybe it's because there will be snobby bitches attending!" She cursed, getting up.

Jerome tried to hide his shock; he had never heard her curse before. She claimed it was unladylike and unattractive.

"Mara," He said, turning her around. "You're beautiful, and I can't wait to show you off," He stated, kissing her knuckles.

"I have nothing to wear, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't look good in anything you put on me," Mara protested. "And I'm not offending you; I'm offending myself."

"Not even this?" Jerome asked before pulling a zipped garment bag from behind the couch. He gently handed the bag to Mara.

Her curiosity got the better of her as she opened the bag. Inside, she found a dress. She glanced up to find Jerome nervously smiling.

"That's, uh, my mother's favorite dress," He said, a bit embarrassed.

Mara pulled the dress out of the bag and gasped. The cerulean dress reached a bit past her knees. A white, lacy fabric was sewn over the dress, ending just a few centimeters before the dress did.

"It's perfect," She whispered.

Jerome smiled in relief. "So, you'll come?"

Mara contemplated. "Sure," She decided, smiling. She leaned forward, brushing her lips against his cheek. "I'll always be there for you."

* * *

"…So, after Victor makes his big speech, he and his group of freaks will meet in his office. Jerome already installed cameras in there, so we can view from a distance. I'll send you a live feed, too," Nina rambled as she described the plan to Fabian.

But instead of listening, Fabian was studying her features. More importantly, her rosy, pink lips—he wanted to kiss her again…and again…and again.

"Fabian? Fabian?" Nina called, waving a hand in front of his face.

He jumped. "Yeah?" He asked.

Nina pouted. "You weren't listening; I'm sorry. I tend to ramble when I get nervous and jittery—"

"Nins, it's okay," He said. "Everything will go according to plan. And you, Amber, Eddie, Patricia, and Jerome will get the information we need."

Tonight, a gala was being held in honor of the resort's 60th anniversary. Since Fabian was bedridden, he had to stay behind. He offered to watch Will, Juliana, and Francis, since Patricia and Eddie would be at the gala, investigating the creepy manager.

"There's only one possible problem—Hayden," Nina noted.

Fabian nearly growled when he remembered that Hayden owned the damned resort—he had to attend the gala. "Steer clear of him, and stay with everyone at all times," He ordered.

Nina put her hands on her hips. "He won't hurt me, Fabian. We're in public, and he wouldn't hurt anyone he's trying to…stalk, deflower, or whatever. Plus, I'm capable of taking care of myself. I took self-defense classes after I divorced Rob."

"But Hayden…he's different," Fabian attempted to explain, but the words came out jumbled.

"Fabian, I know. But I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself," Nina said, standing. "I have to get ready with the girls. But I'll be back to set up the laptop in the living room. At 7 P.M., turn on the laptop."

Fabian nodded, still convinced Hayden was…different, like a superhuman of sorts. But Nina was right; Hayden wouldn't attack her since he's trying to get into her pants. Plus, they weren't in a secluded place, like the trails.

But why did he feel like Hayden was more complex than that?

* * *

Juliana watched as the women got ready for the gala. With increasing interest, Juliana observed her step-mom. Over the course of the summer, Juliana realized that Chloe was wrong; Patricia, in fact, didn't hate her. Patricia actually loved Juliana and Francis like they were her own children. Maybe, instead of calling her Trixie, she would one day call her 'mom'—

"Juliana?" Trixie called from the vanity. Her reddish-brown hair was wrapped into towel, resembling a turban. Juliana had to stifle her giggles as she neared her step-mom.

"Yes, Trixie?" She asked.

"Could you hand me my necklace?" Trixie asked, gesturing to a silver chain on her dresser. Juliana nodded, carefully retrieving the necklace. She was almost to Trixie when her hand slipped. The necklace fell to the ground, and Juliana burst into tears.

Juliana was shaking and crying; she was reliving a terrible event. Once, she had dropped Chloe's necklace into the sink. She was a young toddler and didn't know better. Furious, Chloe slapped Juliana and forced her to stay in her room for a full day.

Patricia ran towards Juliana. "My god, she's having a panic attack!" She realized as she held the shaking girl.

"She has trauma," Nina observed, stroking the girl's hair. Both she and Will dealt with trauma for months after the divorce was finalized. "She needs to take deep breaths."

Patricia nodded and began to whisper to Juliana. Visually, the young girl relaxed, but she was still shaking.

"Trixie?" The broken girl whispered.

"I'm here," Patricia mumbled, embracing her step-daughter. No, not step-daughter; Chloe's biological daughter be damned. Juliana was Patricia's daughter, blood or not.

* * *

"Are you sure that's the best thing to wear to a gala?" Joy inquired, studying Amber's dress. "I'm shocked; you're usually so fashion-forward."

"So?" Amber sully added. "I really don't want to go, but I promised my friends something. And here I am," She sighed.

The former Princess of Monaco looked…well, more like a pauper than a heiress. Amber had dark circles under her eyes, and her face was streaked with tears. Her usually impeccable, blonde hair was tangled and matted. Her fresh skin now looked oily. And her fashion sense was—excuse my French—fucked up. She was wearing a plain and longish, black dress. It wasn't like a typical Little Black Dress; it was ugly. She wore flats—flats!—which was a first for Amber. The entire outfit lacked the 'Amber' flair.

"Well, I'm not letting you step out of the house dressed like that. Here," Joy said. She grabbed a brush and forcibly brushed the tangles out of Amber's mane. Amber didn't even flinch at the apparent pain Joy was inflicting onto her scalp. "Now, what the hell happened?"

Amber sighed. "I met a bartender here. This name was Noel, and he was so poor that he didn't get TV or Internet."

"Join the club," Joy mumbled.

"I thought having a clean slate with someone would magically erase the damage. I wanted someone to love me for me. So, I created an alter ego named Jenny. Suddenly, he found out. He's extremely mad at me, and I-I think I actually love him," She sighed.

"You know why he's mad?"

"I lied?"

"He wouldn't have judged you. He didn't need an alter ego named Jenny; he looked beyond the past and into the future with you. That was your mistake. Seeing you actually love him, I suggest you find him and snog him senseless. Tell him about your feelings—before it's too late."

"But I look like shit," The blonde woman complained, finally taking notice of her ugly dress.

Joy grinned. "Turn around."

Amber turned and gasped. In just five minutes, Joy had transformed her from weepy to glamorous. Joy had brushed her hair, and her blonde tresses were pushed back by a red headband. Her skin was cleaned, and her blue eyes were outlined in an edgy eyeliner. Joy had taken scissors and cut a long slit in the boring dress, making it bolder and sexier. She also traded in her flats for five-inch heels. Amber's feet practically yelped—in pain and happiness—when she slid into the heels.

"Oh my god, you're amazing, Joy." Amber exclaimed, twirling around. Then, she noticed what Joy was wearing: a pair of jean shorts, a tee, and Converse. "Why aren't you dressed, Ms. Fashion Star?" She teased. "Aren't you going with Mick?"

Joy blushed, glancing down at her feet. "Uh, no. He didn't ask me," She said, turning around to pack up her kit.

"What? He didn't? That's…disappointing. I was positive he liked you—you know, he changed because of you and Mara," Amber informed Joy.

"He hasn't changed," Joy murmured, rolling her eyes when Amber mentioned Joy and the brunette in the same sentence. She didn't hate Mara, but she despised how Mara led Mick on, and then threw him under the bus when something better came along.

"Sure he has! He's stopped flirting and being an asshole. He has manners, Joy, and it's all thanks to you. Now, tell me that you don't like him."

"I don't like him…or his boyish smile…beautiful eyes…oh! And I love the way his hair flops into his eyes…oh my god, I like Mick."

"No, sweetie. I think you're in love with him," Amber said, winking. "Now, go and make yourself sexy. I'll take care of Mick—just meet us at the gala in twenty."

* * *

Amber scrolled down the contacts in her iPhone and settled on Noel's name. She tapped out a message before sending it.

**Amber.**

**Are you coming to the gala tonight?**

After a few minutes, she didn't receive a reply; so, she texted him again.

**Amber.**

**Noel, I know you're there.**

**Noel.**

**No, I'm not going to the gala.**

**Amber.**

**Will you come to the Fireworks Party on Friday? Please; I need to talk to you.**

**Noel.**

**Fine; I'll be by the pool at 6.**

**Amber.**

**Thanks, Noel.**

And he didn't respond after that. Amber smiled, knowing exactly what she was going to do on Friday.

* * *

A low whistle echoed through the room as Nina exited the bathroom, straightening the blue bondage dress that hugged every curve she possessed **(1)**.

"Are you _trying_ to give a certain person a heart attack?" Amber teased from the vanity as she applied makeup.

Nina rolled her eyes as she slipped on her heels. "No, but I need to get into Hayden's office. And Herve Leger does make the best bondage dresses around."

"Hayden's office? What are you planning? Wait, I don't want to know—wait, yes. I want to know, but you know that Fabian's going to kill you when he finds out?" Amber rambled.

"Well, he's not going to figure it out. I did some research; I found out that the trail Fabian was jogging on was Hayden's private trail—Fabian didn't notice that when he was running. I think Hayden might have cameras or something. So, I'm going to talk to him and hopefully, his perverted ass will take me to his compound," Nina cringed. "But you, Jerome, Patricia, and Eddie still need to watch out for Victor and his crew."

"But what if Hayden…you know. No one will know exactly where you are," Amber noted.

Nina contemplated this. "Give me your cell phone."

Although confused, Amber handed over her iPhone. Nina tapped out a few commands.

"I have a tracking device on me. If I'm not back at the house at 9, call the police and track me down. Okay?"

Amber nodded. "Where did you get this?"

Nina hesitated. "I had a tracking device on Will; after I divorced Rob, I was always paranoid that Rob would kidnap Will from school—49% of kidnapping is done by an estranged parent. So, I put a tracking device on Will. I know that sounds creepy, but after we got a restraining order, I threw the device away—"

"Nina," Amber interrupted. "It's okay. My Dad did that to me whenever one of his business deals got…a bit heated," Amber shuddered. "I couldn't even go outside without a security guard."

"Wow," was all Nina could say.

Amber rolled her eyes. "It's okay. Ready to get to the bottom of this?"

Nina nodded as the two women made their way downstairs.

* * *

Will and Francis had become best friends, seeing they were the only boys in the house. They had similar interests: action figures (read: dolls), _Ridiculousness_, comics, superheroes, and girls.

While Fabian and Juliana were watching _Jeopardy_, Will and Francis were watching something on Will's iPad. When Will had the courage, he finally spoke up.

"Francis?" He asked, nervously fidgeting with his hands.

Francis looked up. "Yeah?"

"How would you feel if I told you I liked your sister?" Will blurted, gesturing to the blonde on the couch.

"I would kick your butt," Francis answered. "Why?"

"…I like your sister, Francis," Will confessed.

* * *

"Scotch, please," Hayden ordered as he took a seat at the bar.

"I'll have one, too, thanks," Nina said, taking a seat next to him. "Hey, Hayden."

"Though you look absolutely amazing, I have to ask: what do you want? Where's your boy toy? And your super annoying son?" Hayden questioned, smirking.

Nina clenched her fists behind her back. "It's over, and Will's at a friend's house. Hayden, can we talk?"

"About what? Your undying love for Rutter?" Hayden asked.

Taking a deep breath, Nina asked, "Does your offer about St. Regis still stand?"

Hayden slammed his glass on the table. "How was my place?"

Nodding and praying for her life, Nina followed Hayden out of the lodge.

* * *

"Amber, what do you want? There's a bar calling my name," Mick bitched, annoyed as the blonde pushed him through the throngs of people. Mick bumped into something. "Oh, sorry—Mara?"

Mara looked flustered. "Hey, Mick," She awkwardly said. "How are you?"

"Better," He snapped. "You? Oh, wait; I forgot! You're with Jerome," He exclaimed in disgust.

"Mick—"

"Did you even care for me?" Mick suddenly asked. "Or were you just using me to make Jerome jealous? Was he the one you wanted since the beginning?"

"No, Mick!" Mara's eyes widened, and tears threatened to escape. "I-I was confused, Mick. I like both of you, but—"

"You love him? Am I right? Is that what you were about to say?" Mick inquired.

Mara opened her mouth to respond when Jerome appeared behind Mick.

"Is there a problem here?" He asked, turning Mick around.

"You're the problem," Mick snapped.

"Mick?" A soft voice called from behind Mara.

Both Mick and Jerome turned to face the voice, identical expressions on their faces.

It was Joy. Her hair was in a half-up, half-down hairdo. She was wearing a floor-length, gold dress.

Both Mick's and Jerome's jaws dropped as she neared them. She stood next to Mara.

"Mara," She curtly said, not particularly fond of the woman.

"Joy," The other woman replied, equally as curt.

The four just stood, staring at each other.

"So, who is it, Mara?" Mick inquired. "Me or Jerome?"

"I pick—"

Jerome was looking behind Mara and Joy, and his eyes were widening. "Excuse me," He mumbled, pushing past them.

The trio turned to see Jerome and Amber quickly exit the lodge, followed by Patricia and Eddie.

"What the hell is going on?" Mick wondered.

* * *

"Victor and his crew just left," Amber said as the four adults entered a small closet. "So, they'll be there in a few."

"Couldn't you get a bigger closet?" Patricia complained. "Your elbow is digging into my back!"

"Sorry," Jerome snapped. "This was the only closet available. Believe it or not, some closets are actually filled with supplies."

"Can it, Clarke!" Patricia rolled her eyes.

"Sorry," Eddie apologized for her. "It's her hormones."

Jerome shook his head. "It's okay. Congrats, by the way."

"Than—"

"Shh! They're here!" Amber snapped as she turned on the laptop.

The door to Victor's bland office opened, and three people entered. They were wearing their formal dresses and suits.

"Any progress, Alan?" Victor asked a middle-aged man.

Alan nodded. "I've narrowed it down. The gem and the staff have to be either in the Isis Cabin or the—"

"Frobisher-Smythe Cabin," Victor nodded. "We have to sneak in there again. Vera? How are the bodies?"

"Good, but we only have so long, Victor," The blonde softly said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Eww, they're dating," Amber said, revolted, but was shushed by Patricia.

"I know, Vera. August 1st is approaching, and we need to find the Staff of Osiris and the Frobisher-Smythe gem. It's somewhere in that house…and I want it!" Victor shouted, slamming his fist against his desk.

"Victor, please calm down," Vera pleaded. "We'll sneak in tomorrow, okay? We'll have the gem and—"

"Your species works slowly," A gravelly and gruff voice spoke from the dark corners of the room. There was no outline.

"Sir, we're working as fast as we can," Alan spoke up.

"Well, maybe you need some incentive," The voice taunted. A red ring surrounded Alan and picked the man up. He was flung aside, and Victor and Vera gasped when Alan groaned. "I'll spare your lives, if you give me that gem and staff tomorrow. Is that enough?"

"Yes, sir," Victor agreed.

"Good."

In the closet, the silence was broken by Amber's cell phone. "Fabian? Did you see that?" Amber asked, knowing he was watching.

"Amber, that's the same voice that saved me," Fabian said, and Amber could hear him typing in the background. "I'm looking up the staff and gem now…oh shit," He cursed.

"What? What's wrong?" Amber asked.

"Amber…I've seen the gem before. It's…inside the tanks," Fabian gulped.

"We'll meet you there in twenty," Jerome said, forming a plan in his head. "I have gloves and equipment in my room."

"Wait! Where's Nina?"

"Uh…" Amber trailed off, her voice high-pitched. "She's…um, in the bathroom," Amber lied.

"Amber, where is she?" Fabian asked again, not believing her.

Amber sighed. There was going to be hell to pay…

* * *

Nina sat in one of Hayden's comfy chairs. They were in his office on the first-floor, which Nina was grateful for.

"Excuse the mess; my cleaning lady is on, uh, vacation," Hayden sheepishly said. "Whiskey?" He offered.

Nina nodded as Hayden walked to his cooler, giving her a pleasant view of his backside.

"Shit," He cursed. "It's downstairs; I'll be back. Don't go anywhere," He said, kissing her cheek before he exited.

Nina didn't hesitate when she got up and inspected his laptop. She quietly typed in his password, which he had conveniently placed next to his laptop. She quickly searched in his files, looking for the footage of Fabian's accident. She successfully located it and transferred it to a flash drive, not wanting to waste time looking at it. She logged off and was ready to exit the room via the window when she noticed a red fog forming under the closed door.

She froze as the fog entered the room, twisting into the shape of a snake. It hissed and coiled around her, making her scream in fear. No, she wasn't screaming in fear. Her worst fears were flashing against her closed eyelids.

_Her dead parents…endless nights of abuse…Rob…_

She shoved her hands out, trying to find something solid. A white-hot pain shot through her body, and the red fog quickly escaped, laughing.

"I know your deepest fears…you're not safe," A grave voice whispered from the darkest corners of the room. "You'll never be safe," The voice continued to taunt before a strong gust of wind blew Nina towards a window.

She landed with a loud crack. Nina groaned and clutched her bruising arm. Shaking, she scrambled for the latch and quickly opened the window. Thanking her lucky stars that Hayden's office was on the first floor, Nina slipped out of the office, leaving the creepy presence behind.

Nina landed hard on her arm again. She cried soundly, positive her arm needed to be wrapped. In her purse, her iPhone buzzed. With intense pain, she managed to retrieve her phone.

**Amber.**

**Had to tell Fabian. He noticed your disappearance. Get back to the house. NOW.**

* * *

"Okay, so you're going to reach into the tank," Fabian began.

"Yes, got that Rutter," Jerome answered, annoyed. "Where did you see the gem?"

"The gem is attached to his jacket. You need to work your hand up from his feet to his jacket," Fabian said.

"Well, it isn't the worst thing I've done," Jerome responded after seeing Amber's disgusted expression. He closed his eyes before using a tiny instrument to crack open the tank.

Water surged from the crack, but Jerome worked quick, twisting his gloved hand up Robert's ramrod straight body. He carefully pulled the gem from his jacket and got his hand out of the tank in record time.

"Got it," Jerome said, smirking. "Now, we need to—"

The door to the antechamber opened, and Nina staggered in. Her dirty blonde hair was littered with leaves and vegetation. Her skin was stained with dirt. Her bondage dress was torn in various spots. She was holding her arm, wincing in pain. In her hand, she held up a USB drive.

"Hey," was what the dirty blonde said before she collapsed onto the floor.

That wasn't the only dramatic event to occur. Since the group's attention was focused on an injured Nina, they neglected to notice the crack in the tank getting larger and larger.

_CRACK!_

The tank exploded, and Robert Frobisher-Smythe fell out of his tank and onto the floor, next to Nina.

For a brief second, both of the unconscious parties' arms touched. But that wasn't the most surprising thing.

For a split second, Robert Frobisher-Smythe, a supposedly dead man, opened his brown eyes.

The group screamed like teenage girls before Robert closed his eyes.

And Nina opened her eyes.

* * *

**Crazy, huh? So, Robert was alive for about three seconds. But now, he's dead. And Nina has something to do with it. Guesses? Leave me your guesses in the reviews.**

**(1) Here's the link for Nina's dress: images? q=tbn:ANd9GcRXlO8YnjcTID6AN8w4pNz3elO24aGli51qEp1z_D 6FQIxgeyqJ4w ****If you can't see the link, please Google "Blair Waldorf Blue Bandage Dress".**

**I have good and bad news. Bad news: I have to cancel Chasing Love and Murderers. I wanted the story to be all about crime, but I had another idea: a town involved in supernatural. I tried to fit it into the story, but I couldn't. Sorry. :(**

**Good news: I'm going to continue the second concept to replace Chasing Love and Murderers. And I have two more stories coming out: Troublemakers and Play a Song. If you've noticed, I've changed the title of Troublemaker to Troublemakers. I've also redesigned the concept.**

**Troublemakers, my third upcoming story, is like a mix of FRIENDS, Gossip Girl, and Dalton (by CP Coulter from the Glee fandom—seriously, go and read that story if you love Glee and really good stories).**

**Look for those stories in about a week!**

**Update on Peddie Poll: So far, out of the nine voters, Logan Niklaus Sweet is leading with four votes (44% of the vote). The opinion of twins is just one vote behind with 33% of the vote. Madison Leslie Sweet has 22% of the vote. Keep in mind that I haven't counted the anon votes yet, so the results can be easily tipped. Please continue to vote; the poll ends whenever this story is at its' last chapter. I'm looking at the last chapter to be Chapter 19 or 20.**

**Summary for the next chapter: **_**Sibuna has the evidence, but what should they do with it? The love rectangle between Joy, Mick, Mara, and Jerome is solved. Nina and Fabian do something that changes their lives forever.**_

**-Morgan**


	13. Chapter 13: House of Fireworks

**Anything Could Happen**

**Don't mean to spoil anything, but it's SEXYTIME! *awkward hip thrusts***

**Sorry it took me so longer! I accidently deleted my previous version of this chapter (it was 6,000 words long!), so I had to write it all over again.**

**There's a flashback in this chapter, and it's pretty graphic. So, skip the italicized section if you get triggers. But because it's crucial to the storyline, I'll write a small recap of it at the end of the chapter.**

**Does anyone watch The Fosters? If not, go and watch it! It's freaking good! I missed the first three episodes, but I started to watch it when I was bored. In ten minutes, I was freaking hooked. It's good TV, which is something hard to find. If you watch it, please PM me so we can fangirl (or fanboy—seriously, how many guys are reading this? Let me know in the reviews!).**

**Happy (belated) Fourth of July!**

**Chapter 13—House of Fireworks **

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Nina asked after seeing their shocked expression. "Oh, no; am I having one of my "I'm-in-public-naked" dreams again?" She asked.

"But you just—and he just, oh god," Amber mumbled, pointing at a dead Robert and Nina.

"What? What happened?" She asked.

"Nina, my dear, I don't know how to say this, but you might have been dead for about three seconds," Jerome stated, helping her up. "And Robert might have been alive for three seconds. What was the last thing you remembered?"

"Um, I got the footage from Hayden's office and snuck out his window," Nina started, obvious trying to remember something else. But she came up blank and shook her head. "I-I'm forgetting something, but it'll come to me later. I must have hit my head pretty hard. What happened in Victor's office?"

"They're looking for a gem and staff. Luckily, we already have the gem. As long as we have it and they don't, we'll be okay," Jerome said. "The staff is okay, wherever it is."

"I'd still like to see the video. Did you record it?" Nina asked.

"Fabian has it—"

"Let's just call it a night. We should take turns watching the gem. I'll watch it tonight," Fabian interrupted, his tone uncharacteristically curt. "Please get Robert into the tank and seal the crack." Then, he turned on his heel, got his crutches, and exited the chamber without a backwards glance.

The group just stood there, shocked at his tone. Nina broke their trance and chased after him.

"Hey!" She called, grabbing his arm and turning him around. "What the hell was that?" She hissed.

"You should probably get that arm wrapped," He lamely interjected.

"Fabian, what's wrong?" She asked.

"What's wrong? Let's see; you risked your life to get stupid evidence for Hayden beating me up. I told you; drop it and steer clear of him."

"Well, I'm not going to sit in a corner and wait. I wanted answers, not only for you, but for all of us."

"And we would have gotten answers, Nina! Haven't you thought that I could have hacked his computer, hmm? Instead of you seducing him and stealing it from his computer? Wow, I haven't thought about that," He snorted.

"For once, I didn't want to be the damsel in distress, screaming for a hero's help. I'm not the same little girl I was a few years ago, Fabian! I'm a fucking abuse survivor. I'm also a single mom and the subject of ridicule of my peers for years! I'm not completely flimsy!"

"Haven't you thought that I don't want to lose you?" He shouted. "Don't you know how I would feel if something…terrible had happened to you?" He asked, softer this time.

Nina was silent. "Fabian, I know what you're coming from. But please, see it from my perspective."

"I'm trying," He mumbled, getting closer to her. He carefully set his crutches next to him as he leaned his forehead against her forehead. "So, am I forgiven?"

She forgot how to breathe. She took a shaky intake. "Only if I am," She whispered. "You know, anyone could walk in. I don't think we're supposed to be this close…" Nina said, slightly brushing their lips together.

He smiled his amazing smile and closed the gap between them. Unlike their first kiss, their second kiss was heated and passionate. Tongues danced as the two fought for dominance. Nina was backed against the cabinets as his arms snaked around her tiny waist. Somehow, he had gained enough courage to carefully unzip her dress.

"Are we really going to do this in the kitchen?" She whispered, her own hands fiddling with the buttons of his shirt.

Fabian didn't answer as he captured her lips again. His shirt was almost unbuttoned. Her dress slipped down her shoulders, revealing new prey for his lips.

_Crash._

The two, breathless adults turned to see a frightened Eddie, Amber, and Patricia. Eddie immediately left, muttering something about disinfecting the cabinets and pouring bleach into his eyes. Amber and Patricia stayed behind, knowing smiles on their faces.

"Um, I have to go," Nina blushed, running upstairs, tripping over her own feet. And that left Fabian alone with Amber and Patricia.

"That was the most sickening thing I've ever seen," Patricia uttered at the same time Amber said:

"Aww, Fabina sex!"

Fabian hobbled out of the kitchen the fastest his crutches would take him, his face flushed red. But he heard one last thing before he closed his door.

"We're such epic cockblocks, aren't we?" Patricia asked Amber, and he could faintly hear Amber laughing.

Groaning, Fabian threw covers over his head. Minutes later, two scary knocks sounded at the door.

"It's locked!" He shouted.

Seconds later, the door was kicked open. Patricia wiped her hands on her jeans and jutted out her hip.

"Rutter, I'm here to help your silly excuse of a life," She dramatically declared, taking a seat on his computer chair.

"What?" He groaned from under the covers.

Patricia ripped the covers from his head. "Stand up! Be a real man!" She chided. "You almost had sex with Nina in the kitchen—what's the difference between doing that and talking to me?"

"You're scarier," He mumbled. "What do you want?"

"You and Nina need each other."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You can't live without her and vice-versa. I've never seen a love that strong. Well, except for Rose and Jack. Oh, and Eddie and I! And those weird old people in those commercials…anyways, my point is that many take a lifetime to achieve your kind of love. Now, put us out of our misery and get together!"

"It's not that easy, Patricia. We have Will to think about. Plus, Nina might not be ready. Did she tell you about Rob? I don't want to force her into something she isn't ready for," Fabian said.

"What is your name?" She asked.

"Fabian," He answered, confused.

"Exactly; not Rob or anyone else. Remember in the kitchen? Was she jumping when you practically devoured her neck? Or when you unzipped her dress? Fabian, she's ready. Though I'm a 21st century feminist, I say that you have to make the first move! Tell her you're interested and will wait until she's ready."

Fabian was silent, contemplating her words. "What should I do?"

"Easy; have an easy date. While we're at the Fireworks Party, I'll force Jerry to make up some lame excuse, forcing you and Nina to guard the gem. You'll be alone—a perfect opportunity for a date. And the rest…well, that's up to you."

The gears were turning in his head, and a grin formed on his lips. "I think I have an idea."

Patricia smirked. "Really; you actually have a brain in there? By the way, when do you get your cast off?"

"Uh, tomorrow, why?" Fabian asked.

"Well, I need to go to a checkup. We can carpool."

Fabian raised an eyebrow. "Isn't Eddie supposed to take you? And aren't you supposed to make an appointment?"

"It's a secret checkup," Patricia blurted. Then, she covered her face. "I just want to make sure the baby is still there. I've had so many miscarriages, and I don't know what to believe."

Fabian patted her knee. "You're a good person, Patricia."

"I seriously doubt it, but thanks."

* * *

"Excuse me?" Amber asked a worker. "Could you build a bonfire over there?" She asked, pointing to a spot farther in the forest.

The worker, who resembled Mario, squinted and scratched his beard. "I don't know, ma'am. You would have to get permission from the main office. And someone would have to monitor the fire, making sure it won't get out of control."

"Say I watch the fire. Then, what?" Amber asked.

"I still need permission."

"Is this permission…enough?" She asked, pressing a hundred-dollar bill into his hand.

His eyes widened, and he slowly nodded. "Your fire will be built in three hours, ma'am."

Amber smiled. "Thank you, sir." And she ran off.

* * *

Will knocked on Francis's door. After a few moments and no reply, Will cautiously pushed open the door.

Francis had his back to him and headphones were covered his ears. Will mustered up some courage and removed the headphones from his head.

"Hey!" Francis shouted, turning around. His glare hardened when he saw Will. "What are you doing here?" He asked, and his voice was razor sharp.

"We need to talk," Will stated.

"What? About you liking my sister?" Francis glared. "You better get out of here before I tell, you shrimp!" Francis stood up, glaring at Will.

Will rolled his eyes and stood to his full height. "Francis, I'm a full five inches taller than you."

"Well, I'm older, and you have to respect your elders!" Francis shouted. "I don't get it; why do you like my sister?"

Suddenly, Will became interested in his Converse. "Well, she's very pretty. She can also do flips!"

"Of course; she's a gymnast," Francis scoffed. "But continue…"

"Her hair is shiny, and she smells nice. And she's kind, and she looks out for you. That's a one-in-million thing."

Francis's expression softened for a second, but he tensed. "Wait, are you only hanging out with me so you can get closer to my sister?"

"No, no!" Will shouted. "I like both you and Juliana. Look, if you want me to, I'll forget about this whole crush, and I'll leave you alone."

Francis contemplated this. "That would be selfish. Will, I'm not going to throw away a good friendship just because of a little argument."

"So, I can like your sister?" Will asked, his eyes shining.

Francis sighed. "Yeah, but you better not hurt her. Or I'll kick you or something."

"I promise I won't hurt her. Friends?"

"No; best friends."

* * *

"So, what's new, chief?" Amber asked Patricia.

"Well, Eddie already disinfected the kitchen cabinets; he can barely enter the kitchen without shuddering; Nina has done the impossible. She actually made my husband scared of food—well done."

Amber giggled. "So, what else?"

"Well, I got those two alone in the house tonight. Hopefully, Fabian will take action—literally."

Amber squealed. "That's so cute! Speaking of cute, here," Amber said, handing the pregnant woman a bag.

"What's this?" Patricia suspiciously asked before she opened the bag.

"It's a pregnancy swag bag!" Amber exclaimed. "Here's a McDonald's gift card for whenever you get cravings. There are also other gift cards in there; I didn't know exactly what you liked. I also got you a membership to this gym in New York. It's made especially for newborns and their mothers. If you want to work out, there's a spot where you can still watch your kid. Or you could hand your kid to a babysitter—whichever is your style. And then, last but not least, I got—"

"You got us matching shirts?" Patricia finished, holding up about six or so t-shirts with 'Sweet Family' inscribed on the front. The shirts perfectly fitted every member of their family: a soon-to-be expanded Patricia, Eddie, Francis, Juliana, and the unknown baby.

"Yeah; I didn't know if you were having twins or not, so I just got a few extra shirts. Plus, you may never know. The baby might puke all over his/her shirt!" Amber laughed.

"Thanks, Amber. I'm serious; I know I was a bit mean in the beginning, but you're one of the nicest women I've ever met. I would be proud to call you my best friend," Patricia confessed as a real smile crept on her lips.

Tears sprung from Amber's eyes, and she leaped forward to hug her. "Thanks, Trixie!" The blonde overdramatically sobbed.

Patricia endured the hug for a few more moments before pushing the blonde off of her. "Rule number one: I limit you on hugs."

Amber pouted. "One can never have enough hugs!"

"I can."

* * *

A knock sounded at Nina's door.

"Come in," Nina said and shut her laptop, in order to give the person her full attention.

It was Jerome. "Whatcha doing?" He asked, jumping on her bed, almost making her fall off.

She laughed. "I'm trying to remember what happened before I hit my head."

"You mean, what happened at Hayden's office?" Jerome asked.

"Yeah, but I'm sure it'll come to me. I've been having dreams about it—like what could have happened. For some reason, I keep on seeing red."

"Maybe red is associated with something that happened. Have you looked at the USB? Maybe that'll give you answers."

"I've almost forgotten about that," The dirty blonde exclaimed, grabbing her laptop and the USB. She plugged the USB in and waited as the video loaded. But it wasn't loading. "Why isn't it loading?" Nina wondered aloud as she searched for an answer.

"Nina, I don't think it's a video you downloaded," Jerome said, taking the computer from her hands. "This is Hayden's live feed of his security cameras. Maybe what happened last night is here?"

"It's worth a shot," Nina answered as Jerome located the time and day.

The computer hummed before a video popped up.

"_Whiskey?" _On-screen Hayden asked an on-screen Nina.

"That dress is way too short," Jerome remarked.

Nina glared at him. "Hey, I was trying to seduce the guy! Give me a break!"

Jerome shushed her and turned up the audio.

The pair watched in silence. After a few moments, on-screen Nina started to download the video off of his computer. But the camera caught a red fog in the hallway. It coiled into the shape of a snake and surrounded on-screen Nina. The red snake threw her aside like a rag doll. Then, she scrambled out of the window. And the red snake disappeared.

Nina was trembling. "I remember now. The red snake—whatever it was—was showing me my worst fears."

"That thing isn't human," Jerome muttered, closing the window and opening Google. "Red snake…fears…" He mumbled as he typed.

Only one result popped up.

"Apophis? The Egyptian terror?" Nina asked, reading from the description.

"You know about him?" Jerome asked, skimming through the article.

"Rick Riordan is Will's favorite author. He begged me to read _The Kane Chronicles_ to him. Apophis is the main antagonist; he wants to unbalance Ma'at/the Order by devouring Ra, the senile and former king of the gods."

"I have no idea what the hell you just said, but it sounded important. You and Fabian deserve each other," Jerome scoffed.

Nina blushed. "I'm going to ignore that. Why the hell is Apophis here—especially if he "supposedly" doesn't exist?"

"I have a feeling that Victor and his friends have something to do with it."

"Well, let's go and get them," Nina suggested. "Tomorrow?"

"We'll go all Black Ops on them and invade their headquarters—scope out anything and everything," Jerome finished.

"We're such badasses," She added, laughing.

* * *

Later than evening, the Fireworks Party was in full-swing. The bar and pool was open—not a good combination, but plenty lifeguards were on-duty and alert. The dance floor was full of gyrating kids, teens, and adults; most of them were embarrassing themselves. But hey, it was good entertainment for a pregnant and hormonal woman!

Off to the side, Juliana was showing off, completing complicated tumbling passes. Francis and Will were friends again and were skateboarding with a couple of boys.

Patricia smiled and put a hand to her stomach. One day, her own kid would be doing that—scaring her half to death.

"One ginger ale for you," Eddie said, handing her a can. "And one shot of vodka for me!" He gleefully stated, downing the shot in record time.

"Oh, god, I'm so nervous," Patricia murmured, biting her fingernails.

Eddie gently pulled her hand from her mouth. "Honey, Juliana is going to be elite in October. Plus, she knows her limits. And Will and Francis are wearing helmets—relax."

Patricia suddenly turned to face him. "I went to the doctor today," She blurted.

Eddie's demeanor changed from playful to serious. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" She said. "That's the point; I was afraid that something…wrong would happen, like in the other pregnancies. You know, that our happiness was short-lived?"

"But it isn't," He finished, kissing her knuckles. "You know I love you, right?"

"You better, Slimeball," She joked, kissing him.

* * *

Amber paced around the bonfire. Behind her, she heard a branch snap. Heart racing, she turned and was relieved to find Noel behind her.

"Hey, you came," She whispered, coming closer. "I thought you wouldn't recognize me."

"You're the one person pacing in the forest wearing a pink robe," Noel wryly noted. "What's with that anyways?"

Amber took a deep breath and started to undo the robe.

"Whoa!" Noel exclaimed. "Amber, I know you want me to forgive you, but that's not the way to do it."

Amber giggled. "Noel, open your eyes. I'm not naked; I promise. Take a peek," She said.

Noel cautiously removed his hands from his eyes and found Amber standing in front of him, wearing a pair of non-designer jeans, his favorite flannel shirt, and Converse. Her blonde hair was tied in pigtails, a hairstyle she detested, but he found cute.

"Noel, I'm willing to change for you," She continued, picking up large bags by her feet. "No, I want to live with you in your small apartment, without TV, Internet, cable, and hot water. And to prove it, I'm going to burn my clothes, symbolizing a brand new kind of me."

Noel was silent, watching Amber like a hawk.

Amber took a shaky breath. "Okay, here I go!" She weakly exclaimed, holding the garment bags out…before she dropped them by her sides. "Oh, my god; I can't do this!" And she slunk dramatically to the ground, sobbing.

Noel sighed and walked over to her. "I knew you couldn't do it, sweetie," He said, handing Amber his handkerchief. He took a seat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You know why?"

"Because I'm a weak, selfish person?" Amber asked, blowing snot into his handkerchief.

"No, because I know that your clothes are a part of who you are and your lifestyle. Asking you to change yourself for anyone is unheard of." Then, he glanced down. "I know I acted like a dumbass; I should have treated this situation like an adult, not like a puny teenager. Am I forgiven?"

"Are you serious? _You're_ asking for forgiveness?" Amber asked, laughing. "If anything, I should be on my knees, begging for your forgiveness!"

"Amber, I've forgiven you."

"No, you haven't. Face it, I freaking lied to you! I took up another identity, not realizing you wouldn't have judged me because you're an amazing guy. If only I had realized that earlier…" Amber trailed off. "You know what? This idea was stupid," She stated, shaking her head. She started to get up, but was pulled down when Noel gently grabbed her waist.

"Amber, it wasn't stupid. You made an effort to try, and that's all I need," He said, inching closer to her.

"All you need for what?" She mumbled.

"All I need to know that I love you," He said, connecting their lips.

* * *

Back at the cabin, the two were settling down with a bowl of popcorn and Nina's favorite movie, _Breakfast at Tiffany's_.

It was awkward and silent between the two—they hadn't spoken since their infamous makeout in the kitchen. It wasn't like them; they didn't let the first kiss get in between them. What was the difference?

Since she had seen the movie a million times, Nina allowed her mind to wander. She thought about the young man next to her. She was pretty sure of it; she loved him, and he loved her. But what was holding her back?

Her iPhone buzzed, breaking her from her train of thought. She picked up her phone, thankful for a distraction. It was five missed calls from Patricia.

"I have to make a call," She blurted, running upstairs to her room. She barely made it into her room before she fell face-forward and screamed into her bed. Nina rolled over and dialed Patricia's number.

"Why the hell are you talking to me? You're supposed to be—"

"I'm scared, Patricia."

"Of what? You love him, and he loves you."

"It's not just that, Patricia!" Nina angrily replied. "I have to think about Will, and how he feels about this—and how this would affect him."

"Affect him? Have you been living under a rock for three months? Will wants you and Fabian together more than ever. He sees Fabian as a father figure and a friend. And you need to learn how to think about yourself for at least one time in your life."

"Patricia, a parent is supposed to put their child first. I can't—it's too selfish."

"Selfish? Nina, we're talking about fucking love here, not a pair of expensive boots or anything. I know love has been hard for you, but you have to understand: he isn't Rob or anyone else. He's the love of your goddamn life. Now, go and tell him that."

Nina was silent before she hung up. She walked over to her mirror and stared at herself. She was wearing a pair of sweats, an old college tee shirt, and Uggs. Basically, it was her 'I'm-so-depressed' uniform. Her frizzy hair was in a messy topknot, a few tendrils falling into her face.

Nina started up her straightener, and she ventured into her closet. She found a box on her closet floor, awaiting her. Nina picked up the box and opened it. It was skimpy lingerie, accompanied with a pair of Christian Louboutin heels and a notecard. The notecard read:

_Dear N,_

_Tell him it's a gift from both you AND us._

_-Amber and Patricia_

_P.S. The tighter, the better!_

Nina held up the fabric to her body and cringed. It was at least a size too small and would be so tight on her.

Wait, a second—were they actually suggesting…sex? Sex was such a foreign word to her. The last time she had…if she had to remember the last time, it had been too long.

Was she ready?

* * *

"Mara, we've been sitting here for the past hour in silence. How long does it take to make a decision between someone you threw under the bus and my boyfriend?" Joy snapped.

"Hey, I wasn't your boyfriend, Joy," Jerome exclaimed, rubbing his forehead. "Mara, please."

"Stop pressuring her," Mick interjected, glaring at Jerome.

"No, it's not that," Mara dismissed. She turned to Mick. "Was I really stringing you along?"

After seeing no expression from his face, she continued. "I guess I was. I'm so sorry, Mick," She whispered, putting her hand over his. "I was in love with you, but people can fall in and out of love. You will always have a special place in my heart, Mick, but I love Jerome."

Mick meekly nodded. "I know, Mars. I've always known, but I thought that if I ignored him, he would go away."

"I'm not a dog, Campbell!" Jerome interjected loudly.

"But I understand," Mick finished, glaring at him.

"Thank you, Mick."

Jerome turned to Joy. "All right; your turn, princess."

Joy scowled. "So, that was it, huh? You acted like you gave a damn about me, and then you toss me aside like a rag doll?"

Jerome darkly chuckled. "That chap was actually right; bloody hell…"

"What chap?" Joy asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Ed; he told me not to mess with you, unless I was mending your heart. I told him I wouldn't, but I just broke my promise. I'm really sorry, Joy."

"…I thought you said you don't apologize," She whispered.

"…And I said it before; you're an exception."

Joy was silent as tears streamed down her face. "I knew this day was coming—the resolution. But they say if you love someone, let them go. So, goodbye, Jerome." And she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

He closed his eyes and relished the feeling of Joy's kiss.

They stared at each other before departing with their lovers. It was like a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

But they spared at glance at each other. It had been a lot of fun, but it was at the wrong time and with the wrong person.

And they were happy with their current lovers, knowing they were with the right person.

* * *

Katherine downed another shot. "Another shot! Whoo! My personal best! What do you have to say about that, Lewis?" She slurred at her ex-boyfriend.

"Uh, well, no more shots for you," Alfie said, moving the glasses away from her. "And we need to find a couch for you to crash on," He noted. "Come on," He said, picking her up, thankfully that she picked this day to wear jeans.

"Ugh! Why is the ground spinning?" Katherine squinted as Alfie set her down on an unoccupied couch. Her once curled locks were limp because of the humidity, but she still looked beautiful in his opinion.

"Because you're drunk as shit," Alfie answered, covering her with a blanket.

"Well, I am British," She confessed, giggling like a maniac. "You know," She hiccupped, propping herself up. "I miss you," She slurred.

Alfie paused. "I miss you, too," He finally said.

She grinned. "How about we go and find a room?" She suggested, yawning and sitting up.

Alfie hesitated. Katherine wanted him, and he was sure he wanted her. But she was drunk. And taking advantage of her would make him so guilty that he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

Instead, Alfie planted a soft kiss on Katherine's forehead. "Goodnight, princess," He whispered.

The moment was broken when Katherine began to loudly snore, causing him to chuckle. Alfie pulled up a chair to watch her, making sure no harm came to his princess.

* * *

Nina paced in her bedroom; she was pretty sure that the movie was long over, and soon, Fabian would come looking for her.

She hadn't made her decision, but still straightened her hair and put on the ridiculous lingerie, along with a trench coat and heels—she couldn't find her fluffy pink robe. All she had to do was say the word and the lingerie came off, the idea of having sex with Fabian abandoned.

But every time she made a move towards her sweats, she stopped herself. It wasn't having sex; it was making love, according to her. She was sure he was the One.

But was she ready?

Nina felt like tearing out her hair—she was running in circles, asking herself the same question over and over. Maybe she was so reluctant because of the last time she had sex; she hadn't told anyone this story…ever.

* * *

"_Neens, I'm home!" Rob called from the doorway of their apartment. He was carrying flowers and chocolate, along with his briefcase. "Nina?" He echoed, moving around the apartment. _

_Last night, they had a fight about Rob's female co-worker, and Rob blew up. He had accidently hit her, and she locked herself in the bedroom, terrified. He wanted to make it up her._

_The bathroom door opened, and his wife emerged. She wrapped her arms around herself. "What, Rob?" She asked, and her tone was very rough and tired._

_Rob was getting irritated. But he forced a smile. "Nina, I want to apologize for last night," He said, offering her the flowers and chocolate._

"_I don't want your stupid flowers, Rob."_

"_What? Why? Don't you like these? They're your favorite, right?" Rob asked, smelling the roses._

"_I don't like roses, Rob," She replied._

_Now, Rob was mad. "Will you stop being a little bitch and accept them?" He shouted, backing her up against the wall. "And give me what I want?"_

"_N-no, Rob," She stuttered. "Get away from me!"_

_He smirked before shoving her into the bedroom. She kept on walking backwards as he neared her, grinning evilly. Her knees buckled when her knees hit the bed, and she fell backwards._

_He was on top of her, his eyes dark._

_All she remembered was shouting 'NO' over and over again and pain—so much pain. And roses; she didn't want to look at him, so her gaze fell upon the forgotten roses on the ground. They were once bright and beautiful. But now, they were dull and lifeless._

_Nina knew exactly how that felt._

_After a while, it was over, and Rob rolled off of her, breathing hard. Rob turned over and laughed. He stroked her cheek, and she recoiled._

"_You're such a slut," He muttered._

_He fell asleep immediately, but she was wide awake. She carefully got up, wincing as she limped to the window. She stared outside, wishing she could escape. But she couldn't._

_She knew no one was listening, but to get the terrible memory out of her head, she whispered it into the night._

"_I was raped."_

* * *

"Nina?" Someone called, right by her ear.

She jumped, but relaxed when she saw it was only Fabian. "Oh!" She said, but her voice sounded broken.

"The movie is over; are you okay? You've been upstairs for a while," Fabian asked, touching her shoulder. "Are you going somewhere?" He asked, gesturing to her trench coat and shoes.

"No, I-I just," Nina stuttered. "Can we talk about this downstairs?" She said, nearly running downstairs.

Fabian followed her, confused.

She sat at the kitchen counter, toying with the robe. "I-I think it's pretty obvious that we have feelings for each other," She began.

"Who told you?" He asked, glancing down.

"Well, I figured it out a while ago, but many of our housemates were telling me to stop stalling," She giggled.

"Same here," He said, relieved.

"I don't think I just have feelings for you, though. My mom used to say 'One day, your prince will come'. I used to say that she was crazy; life isn't a fairytale. But that all changed when I went to college. I thought Rob was my prince—turns out, he was villain. I had to be the 'prince' and 'knight' in my story. But that all changed on June 1st."

"What happened on June 1st?" He asked, trying to remember.

Nina smiled. "I met you when you saw me crouched behind a car, hiding from two nutcases. And then, I told you about Rob—which I've only told a few people about. And to my surprise, you didn't judge me, like most people would. I barely knew you, yet I felt like we've known each other for a lifetime," She whispered, linking their hands together.

"I'm glad you feel the same way," Fabian said.

Nina squeezed her eyes shut. "And I think…I love you."

"And I think I feel the same way."

Nina opened her eyes, surprised. She saw him smiling shyly at her, and that's when she knew she was ready. Like Patricia said before, he wasn't Rob—he was the polar opposite of Rob.

With a sudden surge of confidence, she slowly took off the trench coat, revealing the skimpy lingerie underneath and dropping the coat to the floor.

His eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

Feeling shy again, she giggled. "My eyes are up here," She said, attempting to redirect his attention.

He still didn't redirect his attention.

"I was thinking that we could continue what we began last night," She said, biting her lip nervously.

That snapped him out of his trance. "Wait, I don't want to pressure you into something you don't want to do," He said.

"I'm ready," Nina said, taking his hand. After reliving the rape memory, she was certain.

Fabian smiled, and they began to walk towards his room, hand in hand. They entered his room, locking the door and putting a sock on the doorknob, in case someone came back from the party early.

* * *

"Hey, Juliana?" Will asked the pretty blonde as they watched the fireworks from their spot on the beach. They were munching on food from the party.

"Yeah?" She replied.

Will suddenly chickened out. "Uh, cool fireworks!" He lied, trying not to sound nervous.

"Uh, yeah; I've never seen fireworks in Pittsburgh," Juliana added. "Oh, wow!" She shouted, pointing at the sky. She moved closer, making their shoulders bump slightly.

The fireworks were over, and the clear sky revealed bright constellations in the sky.

"I wish I could recognize constellations," Juliana pouted.

"Well, my mom told me about some constellations. You see that there? That's Orion, the hunter. Then, there's Canis Major."

"The dog, right?" Juliana asked.

"Yup; do you see him?"

"No, I don't."

"Here; it's like connecting the dots." Will took Juliana's hand and pointed her in the direction. "See it?" He said, moving her finger along the bright stars.

"Yup; thanks, Will."

"Anytime, Juliana."

And Juliana put her head on Will's shoulder as they observed the constellations in a peaceful silence.

* * *

**Yay, Fabina! I know it seemed rushed (because of the revelation that Nina was raped by Rob), but as Patricia said, he isn't Rob.**

**So, for the people that skipped the flashback, here's the recap:**

**So, basically, this flashbacked to when Nina and Rob were married. They were fighting, and Rob hit her. The next day, he came home, wanting to apologize with chocolate. But when she acted hostile, he violated her and raped her.**

**Keep in mind that she didn't tell anyone this—she didn't even report it in the abuse reports. **

**I bet many people are wondering if Will was produced from the rape. No; if you remember from an earlier chapter, Nina said Will was conceived by artificial insemination, since Rob didn't want to have sex with her anymore. That's messed up, huh?**

**I've been watching too much Law and Order: SVU. I was watching _Girl Dishonored_ whilst I wrote this. Sad episode…**

**In other news, DOMA and PROP 8 have been struck down! We've made it up the mountain, but we still have work to do.**

**I'm officially applying to become a beta reader, but can only take one or two stories at a time. Though I have ample free time in the summer, I'll be entering high school in the fall. My writing and editing time will be drastically decreased. I don't want to bite off more than I can chew and end up with a train wreck in the fall. See what I mean? I'm writing my profile and when it goes up, it's on a first come, first served basis.**

**This chapter was a pivotal point in the Mara/Jerome/Joy/Mick love rectangle. I know many fans were mad that Jara/Moy won, so to redeem those fallen fans, I'm going a one-shot: what if Jeroy/Mickra had won? So, it's going to be a one-time thing, but I couldn't help but wonder how the story would have been if Jeroy/Mickra had won. So, to squelch our needs, look out for that long oneshot in a few days (maybe a week).**

**HOLY BATMAN SHIT, THIS CHAPTER IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER WRITTEN! :D A hefty 6,040 words! Thank you guys; you keep me writing!**

**-Morgan, xoxo**


	14. Chapter 14: House of Capture

**Anything Could Happen**

**I just realized I didn't put a summary of this chapter on chapter 13. Considering we're nearing the last five or six chapters of the story, the descriptions can spoil the ending. I might post a vague one, but I'm not promising anything.**

**On July 13rd, we lost Cory Monteith. Not only did Cory teach me to take responsibility for my mistakes, but he taught me it was good to be different. **

**This chapter (and all my works) is dedicated to Cory, the tall and awkward drummer from Canada. RIP. #PrayforLea**

**Chapter 14—House of Capture**

When Fabian opened his eyes again, he locked eyes with a familiar sight of green orbs.

Nina had propped herself up by her elbows and wrapped a sheet around her. "Hey," She whispered. Though she was probably exhausted, the brightest smile presented itself on her face. "How do you feel?"

"I think I should be asking you the same question," Fabian chuckled, sitting up. His hand absentmindedly found the tattoo on her back and stroked it.

"I'm still on cloud nine," She laughed. "I'm sorry if I disappointed; I haven't had sex in a while."

"Disappointed?" He scoffed. "If this is okay," He said, pointing to his chest. "Then, you were all the way over there!" He exclaimed, pointing to the farthest corner in his room.

She blushed. "Oh, stop!" She swatted his arm. "You weren't the bad either, mister," She winked, pressing him against the headboard. She pointed to the garment she wore a few hours ago—it was ripped to shreds.

He sheepishly grinned, scratching at the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that," He said, chuckling.

"You should be apologizing to Amber and Patricia; I'm pretty sure they were the ones to buy it for me," She replied, blushing. "It's sad when I don't know how to buy my own lingerie."

"Truthfully, I don't think you need lingerie," He whispered.

"Oh, yeah?" She joked, moving in closer.

They shared a few lazy kisses, savoring the peaceful moment.

Nina reluctantly pulled away. "I know I'm ruining the moment, but I haven't eaten dinner, and I'm starved," She laughed, leaning against the headboard.

"I bet the party is still going on. I'll walk out there and snag something. Any requests?" He asked, getting up. He began to change.

"Hmm, I'm not picky. I'm going to take a shower; are you sure you don't want me to tag along?" Nina asked, grabbing the forgotten trench coat from the floor.

He shook his head. "I'll be back soon—I promise." And to prove it, he swiftly kissed her on the lips.

She smiled. "Okay," Nina whispered, disappearing into the bathroom.

Fabian grinned as he left the room. When he was sure no one could see him, he started to do his victory dance. He did it; he actually told Nina he loved her! And she loved him back—this turned out better than he expected.

Walking out of the door with a little skip in his step, he quickly made his way to the lodge. The party was winding down, while many enjoyed the fireworks on the beach.

Spotting his housemates by the pool, he joined them. It was Patricia, whom spotted him first.

"I see my chat with Nina got through," She commented, noting his grin and the love bites that were proudly exposed. "And back so soon?" Patricia joked, checking her watch. "What, four hours wasn't enough?"

"Wait, what happened?" Mara asked, confused.

"Oh, my dear, I'm afraid you've been out of the loop for almost three months," Jerome added, kissing her hand. "We've been trying to get Fabian and Tramp Stamp together—and he finally made a move today, which resulted in four glorious hours of sex."

Mara gaped, speechless. "…wow. Congrats, I guess."

"Thanks…I guess."

Mara smiled and left, mumbling about getting coffee and paying more attention.

"So, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be partaking in round two?" Patricia teased.

"Actually, I'm picking up dinner. Nina's in the shower, and—"

"Are you two dating or what?" Eddie abruptly asked, interrupting him. "Or are you just leading her on?"

"Eddie!" Patricia chided, confused.

But he was on a roll. "Did you even give a fuck about her or her feelings? Or did you just jump her bones without a second thought? And shouldn't you be there instead of here?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Fabian questioned.

"You know what the hell I'm talking about." And Eddie shoved him backwards.

Fabian nearly tripped, but he gained his balance and rebounded. He lunged towards Eddie, getting in a few good punches before Jerome successfully pulled Fabian away.

"What the hell are you doing; you're causing a scene," Patricia hissed. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Eddie was in a trance, and his eyes were glazed over. He was murmuring, but no one could understand him.

Jerome studied Eddie's trance. "His eyes aren't red—his eyes are blue." Jerome cursed. "It's not Apophis—it's someone else."

"Apophis?" Patricia questioned, confused.

"Nina and I need some research earlier. Nina not only got video evidence of Hayden's attack, but his live feed of security footage. We found out what it was; it was a red fog, in the shape of Apophis."

"Apophis?"

"An Egyptian demon," Jerome clarified. "It's somewhere here. It must be possessing people."

"Possessing, seriously? What are we, ghosts?"

"Hosts, more like it."

"But why is he doing it?" Patricia wondered, glancing around. "And why did Eddie just attack Fabian?" Patricia turned to Fabian, but his attention was somewhere else. "Fabian?"

Fabian suddenly got up and ran after a retreating figure.

* * *

Hayden was taking a nice stroll in the woods, smoking and enjoying the fireworks. But he didn't realize that he was being followed.

He ventured further into the woods, losing sight of the beach. He disposed of his red cigar by throwing it into a pile of prepared wood. The fire lit up, and Hayden took a seat on the forest floor, not caring if he messed up his expensive suit.

He started to chant and shake, and beads of sweat escaped his forehead. Finally, a red fog began to leave his body, taking the form of a tall man.

"Did you get her?" Hayden gasped, rolling over onto his side. "Is she at my place?"

"Yes, she's there, and she's safe." The red silhouette spoke. "Though, I can't say the same for you in a few minutes."

"What the hell are you waiting for? Merge! I'm going to die if you don't merge with me in a few minutes!" Hayden yelled, losing energy with every passing second. He was growing paler by the second. "And you can't function without me—you need me!"

"That was the plan all along, Hayden," The red man chuckled, taking the form of a snake. "You see, I now have enough power to function without a host. You're useless, now."

"You tricked me!" Hayden whispered

"You were a lousy host," The red snake chuckled. "See you in hell, Hayden."

"…Wait," The dying man murmured from the floor. "Is…Nina safe? Do you promise not to hurt her?"

"…I make no promises—only death wishes. And your death wish has been granted."

"What do you want with her anyways?" Hayden asked, coughing. "She's just…an innocent…"

"Yes, innocent," The red fog murmured. "Perfect for a ransom and a sacrifice." The red fog hissed, and Hayden suddenly fell limp.

The red fog disappeared without a trace, and a figure leaped from his hiding spot. The figure stood over Hayden, deliberating whether he should save Hayden's life. The figure called the police, leaving Hayden's location before running back into the party.

* * *

"Well, what did I miss?" Amber asked, skipping up to her housemates. Her hair was thrown in a topknot, and she had changed out of her former outfit; instead, she adapted to a red shirt, skinny jeans, and matching heels. She was holding Noel's hand, and they both glowed with happiness.

Patricia shot Amber a look and surreptitiously covered her eye—it was their secret sign.

Amber knew what that meant. "Noel, can you go and get me a bag of popcorn?"

"Sure," Noel complied, leaving without a second doubt.

"Thirty-second recap—go," Amber commanded, steering Patricia away from any eavesdroppers.

"Fabina sex occurred, but for some reason, Eddie got really mad. He attacked Fabian, but he wasn't himself. Jerome was saying that people around the retreat were getting possessed by an Egyptian demon. And suddenly, Fabian followed someone into the woods."

"And we haven't heard from him in five minutes. Eddie's just now getting out of his trance. He's lying down and drinking water. He should be back to his normal self in a few minutes," Jerome added, sidling next to the women.

"Isn't that him?" Amber asked, pointing to Fabian from a distance. He was running towards them.

When he finally reached them, he was out of breath. "Hayden was possessed by Apophis," He blurted. "Apophis left his body, leaving him to die. I got the medics up here in time, but that's not the worst news. Someone captured Nina, and they want to use her for—"

"For ransom," Jerome blurted. "They know we have the gem, and they want it—or they'll do something to Nina."

"We have to play our cards right," Amber remarked.

"But how?" Patricia wondered aloud as she observed Hayden being rolled out on a stretcher. "Our key into Hayden's house is being airlifted to a hospital, certainly on the brink of death."

"Nina and I were going to go Black Ops on Hayden's house tomorrow. She managed to get a key and security codes to his house. She stole that from his computer and desk," Jerome noted.

"So, we should do the Black Ops mission now?" Patricia asked.

"Fabian, Amber, and I would do the mission—you and Blue-Eyed Socio are on mission control duty. We'll use our phones as walkie-talkies, and you can use your laptop. You will direct us from the map on your screen."

"The map of what?"

"The map of Hayden's estate—she's somewhere there, and we're going to find our leader," Jerome smirked. "Let's go and take down that red, son of a bitch."

* * *

Throbbing was all she felt—throbbing in her head, in between her legs, and on her arms and legs.

She groaned, attempting to open her eyes. Nina looked around at her surroundings. Her arms and legs were bounded, and she was dressed sloppily in her Yale shirt and shorts. Her hair was dripping wet.

"I see you're awake," A voice spoke from the shadows.

"Who's there?" Nina called and tried to move her arms.

Suddenly, something flew over her head. White fog began to enter the tiny chamber, and with a gasp, Nina realized she was in a tank—not unlike the tanks the Frobisher-Smythes were buried in.

She screamed as the fog invaded her senses, making everything dizzy. Soon enough, she went limp. Blue liquid began to fill the tank, but stopped a few inches short of her mouth.

The person smirked, slamming his hands against the glass. "Don't worry—you're not going to feel anything in a few moments. No pain and suffering—physically, anyways. You're a great ransom, Nina Martin."

* * *

"Am I dressed okay?" Amber asked Patricia, inspecting her black tank top, dark jeans, and Converse. She also painted black stripes on her face, mimicking a football player.

"Amber, we're going to rescue Nina—not audition for an ABC pilot," Patricia responded, typing furiously on her laptop.

"I want to blend into the shadows…like a ninja."

Patricia could only roll her eyes before Eddie entered the room and stopped short of seeing Amber.

"What the hell are you wearing, Millington?" He asked, taking a seat next to his wife.

"My spy getup!" Amber declared, throwing her hands up in a ta-da manner.

"Why are you so happy? Does it bother you that Nina could be dead somewhere?" Eddie questioned, slightly angered. "And that a demon is running free through the retreat?"

"I know she's not dead," Amber said. "Or at least, not off of the retreat's property."

"How do you know?"

Amber hesitated. "Well, Nina put a tracking device on her, through her phone last night. Though she was in the shower, I bet she picked up her phone before the perp carried her out of there. Here," Amber said, pulling her own iPhone from her pocket. She showed them the tiny green dot. "See? That's where she probably, now."

"That's deep into the woods—a likely location for a hideout," Eddie noted, using a USB to insert Amber's iPhone into the laptop. He pinpointed the location, but paused. "God, I feel like I'm on Law and Order: SVU."

"As long as I get to be your Benson," Patricia joked, reading the location. "It's not that far away from here, actually."

"Well, what the hell are we waiting for?" Amber said as soon as Jerome and Fabian entered the room, wearing dark trousers, Converse, and dark button-up shirts.

"Waiting for what?"

"Blondie located the tracking device Nina put on herself last night," Patricia answered, handing Amber's iPhone to the two men.

"It still has a signal?" Jerome questioned, surprised.

Patricia nodded. "It's not that far from here, and I bet it's near where she's being held captive."

"By an Egyptian demon that's sucking the life out of everyone?"

"It's using hosts," Jerome corrected. "And according to Rutter, the demon doesn't need human hosts anymore."

"Why does it need Nina for—I mean, aside from ransom."

"I have no idea, but we're about to figure it out," Jerome answered. "Trixie, where's the signal coming from?"

"Just head north from here; I'll tell you when to stop," Patricia answered as Eddie handed the trio flashlights. "Good luck."

The trio were about to leave when the door creaked open.

"What's going on? Where's my mom?" Will questioned, noticing their worried expressions.

Mara ran from behind Will. "Will, come on. Let's get you to bed." Then, she looked straight at them. "I'm sorry; he ran from the room and—"

"Will, I promise; we're going to bring your mom back. She's just…in a tough spot, and we're going to get her," Jerome said, ruffling his hair.

Will turned to Fabian. "Is that true?"

Fabian could barely nod—he hated lying.

Will forced a smile. "Tell her I love her, will you?"

Fabian gulped. "I will, okay? Get some sleep—we'll be back in the morning…I promise."

* * *

The trio walked in silence, only beams from their flashlights guided them through the dense forest.

"A few more yards, guys," Patricia spoke from Jerome's phone. "Try sending a text to her phone; see if something lights up."

"Give me a boost," Amber said. "I can climb a tree and see if there are any lights or hideouts."

"Really, Princess?" Jerome questioned, but complied.

Amber grabbed the trunk and started to climb carefully.

"See anything?" Fabian inquired.

"I don't see anything. Wait…" Amber lowered herself and pulled something out of the knot of the tree.

It was Nina's iPhone, blinking.

Amber unlocked Nina's phone, finding Jerome's texts and an unread text. She dropped to the ground, her mouth agape.

"What? Amber, what happened?" Fabian questioned.

Amber could only hand him the phone, her hands shaking.

**Unknown Number.**

**If you ever want to see your precious leader again, give us the gem by July 31****st****. If you fail, well…see for yourself.**

It was a picture of Nina in the tank—the same kind of tank Robert and his family was enclosed in. She was unconscious, and the tank was full with some mysterious blue liquid. A timer was on the tank, and it was counting down. Thirty hours were left.

Fabian was shaking with anger, and Jerome's face was red. Amber was crying, uncontrollable tears streaming down her face.

"All right—we're finding this bastard, and I'm going to personally unleash a can of whoop-ass on him," Jerome seethed.

Fabian barely glanced at the phone before throwing it at the nearest tree. It cracked into a million pieces.

"What the hell, mate? That was our only evidence!" Jerome shouted.

"I sent it to Patricia and my phone," Fabian answered coolly. "Are you seeing this?"

"Seeing it, not believing it. What bastard would put her in the tank and put her in a coma?" Patricia murmured.

"Coma? How can you tell?" Eddie asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"You didn't realize that it was a video, huh? Look at it again, boys…and Amber," Patricia said.

The trio crowded around Fabian's iPhone. Patricia was right; it was a video. They watched in horror as someone dragged the gagged and unconscious Nina into the chamber. They carelessly slumped her in the tank. After a few moments, she woke up and shook her head. A voice from the shadows made small chat before a fog entered the tank. Nina screamed before falling limp. Then, blue liquid started to fill the tank.

"No word on the liquid, but the fog is something used to medically induce a coma." They heard typing in the background. "Fuck—the timer isn't just counting down to July 31st. I found the source of the blue liquid. Remember how the Frobisher-Smythes were in the tanks? They must have not obeyed the creep master, and their timer went out. The liquid is poisonous—if it's exposed to the body for more than two days, she's…"

"We'll find her," Eddie whispered.

* * *

Victor sipped at his drink as jazz music played in the background. A knock sounded at his den's door.

"Come in," He commanded, and Vera entered, looking beautiful in her dress and heels.

"Victor, what—"

"I captured the girl—it had to be done," Victor answered.

"Victor, you captured an innocent woman!" Vera exclaimed, livid.

"Did I have a choice? Apophis was going to kill us if we didn't do anything!" Victor shouted. "I can't bear losing you!"

"Victor, that's very sweet, but we're talking about murder! That woman is going to die in two days, and we have too much blood on our hands!"

"Three murders barely qualifies as 'too much blood'," Victor harrumphed. "And a fourth won't do any harm."

"Take her out of there!" Vera demanded.

"That woman," Victor spat, "and her friends are Guardians of Anubis. Robert had clues for them to follow, and they have the gem."

"Guardians? Victor, they aren't an issue. Have they been trained? It would have been like stealing candy from a baby," Vera smirked.

"Oh, no; Robert Frobisher-Smythe was smart—perhaps, smarter than me," Victor answered, pulling his tablet from his table.

Vera yanked the tablet from his hands. "You're testing her blood?" Vera shouted, angered.

Victor attempted to hide his guilt. "You never know! She could be…one of them," He argued.

"She isn't, Victor! Let the girl go!"

"Not until I have the gem!"

"Infuriating bastard," Vera mumbled. "Fine!" She said louder, getting his attention. "Do whatever the hell you want—just know that you're sleeping on the couch tonight…and any other night, until you come to your senses."

Victor stared after her before sending off the DNA and blood samples to a lab. If he were right, this could change the game plan…

* * *

**Another chapter is done—we're getting closer to the final chapter and the sequel.**

**Summary for the next chapter: The results of Victor's lab test arrive.**

**I will, hopefully, be updating _You've Got the Love _this weekend. **

**Um, I'm officially a beta reader. I already have one story, so I can only take probably one more full-length story. I can help with one shots. But that's it.**

**-Morgan, xoxo**


	15. Chapter 15: House of Ransom

**Anything Could Happen**

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews! And speaking of reviews…**

**I want to get a decent amount of reviews on this chapter before I post Chapter 16. I enjoy reading your reviews; sometimes, when I have writer's block, I turn to your reviews, since they provide criticism and ideas. I hope I don't sound like a selfish brat, demanding a ridiculous amount of reviews before I post next. **

**My request? I only want 142 reviews before I post Chapter 16—that's about 11 reviews. Please? And I promise—the moment someone writes the 142****nd**** review, I'll dash to my computer and upload the chapter. And even if we don't get to 142 reviews, I'll post by August 18****th**** or 19****th**** (a few days before I start high school—yikes!). But if we get there early, you get the first part of the finale early. ;) (Yes, I'm splitting the finale into four different chapters, with four cliffhangers.)**

**In other news, I almost had a heart attack while writing the shocking moments in this chapter. I hope you'll freak out with me!**

**I believe I didn't mention Patricia's job in any other chapters, but her job is crucial to this chapter. ;)**

**Chapter 15—House of Ransom**

"So, according to the Internet, we shouldn't send him the gem," Eddie said, scrolling down the web page. "I still think we should call Liam Neeson—he knows what to do in these situations."

"May I remind you that he is an actor—never mind," Patricia rolled her eyes, absentmindedly stroking her small baby bump. "Okay, so how dumb are we if we have to browse the Internet for strategizing on how to deal with a ransom? It's been a day, and we're losing time. She has less than ten hours…"

"Well, we can't stop," Fabian said, taking a greedy gulp out of his sixth cup of coffee. "Will needs his mother and—"

"You need your girlfriend?" Amber finished, cracking a smile for the first time in hours. "Yeah, we know."

Patricia and Fabian exchanged a worried glance before turning back to the screen. **(1)**

"I got it!" Jerome exclaimed from his position in the corner of the room. He was hanging upside down, claiming it helped his "detective ways". No one dared to question him. "We should send someone to give him the gem. Then, we jump out of our hiding places and ambush the guy."

"Not bad of a plan, but who would look unsuspecting? This guy is obviously looking for a clan of badasses," Patricia added, biting her lip. "We need a ditzy person—someone this douche wouldn't look at more than once. And from what I can tell, all of us look like badasses…except for…"

Jerome, Fabian, Eddie, and Patricia slowly turned to look at Amber, whom was reading Eddie's screen with a furrowed brow and tilt of her head.

She finally looked up and noticed their creepy and identical Cheshire Cat grins. Amber sighed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "What, should I wear a gingham dress and tie my hair back into pigtails, too?"

"That would help," Jerome suggested. He got up and brushed his pants off. "Let's go and make you look like a virgin, hmm?"

Amber smirked, linking her arm through his. "That's going to be hard, Clarke." She said, as they exited the chamber.

"_Extremely_ hard," Eddie snorted and earned a slap from his pregnant wife. "Ouch!"

Fabian smiled a little at his friend's antics until the door closed. Then, his smile disappeared. He sighed and whispered, "Where are you, Nina?"

* * *

"Alan, I need that blood test now! I don't care about the supposed 72-hour wait! I need that test now!" Victor ranted as he paced in his office.

"Victor, what's so important about this blood test?" Alan questioned as he sat uncomfortably in his chair as Victor circled around him like a lion.

"Let me ask you a question: do you want to live, Alan?"

"Of course, sir!"

"Then, shut the hell up and get the job done! If I'm right about this, we might not need to stress about finding the gem and staff."

"…sir, are you saying-"

"I'm not sure, but go and do your job. Either bring me the results or your head on a platter by dinner. Dismissed," Victor said through gritted teeth, obviously stressed as he downed another shot of vodka.

Alan nodded before dashing out of Victor's office.

Victor sighed, drained as he plopped into his chair. He closed his eyes, relishing the complete and utter silence. Then, his computer bleeped with an incoming message, interrupting his meditation. He growled, sitting up to read it.

It was from an unknown, scrambled e-mail address.

_Dear Victor, _

_We have the gem, and we're willing to exchange it for the woman. Meet our messenger tonight at 8 P.M. at the pool area. Bring her, or the deal is off._

_-Guardians of Anubis_

Victor frowned. If he didn't get the results back before 8 P.M., he might lose the—

Victor closed his laptop with an enraged roar and flung it across the room. It slammed into the wall, shattering into a million pieces.

Breathing hard, Victor picked up his only anchor—his glass. His hand shook as he attempted to pour more vodka into the glass. Eventually, his hand slipped, and the bottle fell to the floor with a clatter. Thinking blindly with anger, Victor picked up the tiny vodka glass. Staring at it intently, he thought about how easy it would be to break the glass—to have unlimited power and superiority over such a small object…

_CRACK._

Looking down in horror, Victor saw small and red droplets sprouting from his hand and another broken glass on the floor.

Victor responded quickly, using an old rag to apply pressure onto the wound. He would have to go and see Vera—if she was still talking to him, which he doubted.

Victor stopped in his tracks, wincing.

Tingly…warmth…

Victor felt a strange plethora of emotions running through him, but those two stood out the most. And it seemed to be coming from his hand.

Slowly, Victor pulled the once-white rag from his hand. Instead of a bloody gash on his palm, it was shiny, pink mark.

"What the hell?" Victor whispered, watching in amazement as the gash quickly healed itself until the mark morphed into something completely different.

It was the Mark of Anubis.

* * *

"Hey, Eddie, do you—what the hell are you doing?" Patricia stopped in the doorway and asked her husband with an amused tone. "A-are you actually reading?" She questioned, joining him on their bed.

Eddie looked up and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm reading—it's a miracle!" He sarcastically exclaimed.

Patricia looked at the cover of the book and gasped. "Is that—"

"_What to Expect When You're Expecting_? Yeah, and wow—this thing is really descriptive," Eddie answered, closing the book as he turned to his wife.

"Who got you that? And why didn't I get one?" Patricia playfully asked, crossing her arms.

"Well, actually, it was for you. Nina left it before…she got captured. I just saw it on our nightstand and decided to read it."

"That was nice of her," Patricia mumbled, turning so Eddie couldn't see her face. But he did.

"We're going to find her," Eddie said, rubbing her back after seeing Patricia's faraway expression—which meant she was close to tears.

"What if he killed her already? What if he's just fucking with us?" She asked, trying to fight off the tears. "What if this plan doesn't work? I'll never forgive myself," She said as a few tears slipped out of her eyes.

Eddie didn't say anything, but he continued comforting his wife. But slowly, he stopped rubbing her back.

Patricia turned to see Eddie slumped against her. His opened eyes were clouded over, and he was mumbling in a foreign language.

"Eddie?" She asked, cautiously.

And then, he suddenly fell to the floor, causing his wife to scream. He was twitching in pain; he was pale, and his lips were a startling color of blue, like he was freezing. But according to the way he was sweating, he was anything but cold.

Jerome ran into the room, followed the others. They surrounded him, watching him intently. All they could do was helplessly watch as he thrashed in pain.

After a while, he had calmed. Eddie's eyes were closed, but the beads of sweat were dripping off of his forehead.

Though he was supposedly unconscious, his mouth opened. "There's one more left…the son of an imposter…find him…" He rasped and fell silent.

Patricia hadn't realized that she was full-out sobbing, which she never did.

"Let's get him on the bed," Jerome said, taking command of the situation.

Quietly and quickly, Fabian and Jerome lifted Eddie onto the bed.

Having dealt with dead or unconscious bodies, Jerome felt for a pulse in Eddie's neck. "His heart is faintly beating."

Patricia, snapping out of her trance, decided that she wasn't completely useless. She was a nurse, and those hours of training were about to save her husband's life. She checked Eddie's breathing and sucked in a deep breath. "He's barely breathing!" She shouted, fighting back an extremely painful sob.

Fabian felt Eddie's forehead and retracted his hand swiftly. "Shit, he's burning up!" He exclaimed.

"Go and get a wet cloth, please!" Patricia shouted to Amber, and the blonde dashed out of the room. Patricia attempted to do CPR, struggling as tears clouded her vision.

The adults were too busy to notice Will in the doorway of the room. He was staring at Eddie, mouthing something. He glided—yes, glided—towards Eddie.

Patricia was the first to notice the curly-haired boy "Will—"

Will gently pushed her out of the way and stood on his tiptoes. He closed his eyes, still mouthing the invisible words.

The three adults stared at him, confused.

Suddenly, Will jerked back, as if someone shoved him. Will's green eyes were blazing as he headed towards the door. He slammed the door, almost making the door fly off of its' hinges.

It was silent as the adults tried to comprehend what just happened.

Jerome noticed that Eddie's hand was twitching. He checked his pulse again. "Guys, it's speeding up," He whispered in amazement.

Patricia moved to check his breathing. "He's breathing better…"

"Do you think Will did this?" Fabian asked, voicing their thoughts.

The question was left unanswered when Amber came through the door, a wet cloth in hand.

As Patricia laid the cloth on his head, Eddie's eyes fluttered. And after a few moments, he gradually opened his eyes.

He was weak, but he gulped and began to speak. "I saw—"

"He may be hallucinating—shh, babe, don't speak," Patricia said, placing a soothing hand on his face. "Just sleep."

Eddie grimaced before unknowingly plummeting into a deep slumber, haunted with dark and whispering visions.

* * *

Victor was still staring at the Mark of Anubis. Why was he wearing the mark of the enemy? And why did he heal so quickly? Why—

A knock sounded at the door, and Victor jumped. He hastily covered the mark with the sleeve of his jacket. "Come in," He roughly called.

Alan poked his head through the door. "Sir?"

"Goddamnit, Alan! Didn't your mother teach you to never interrupt a meal?" Victor said, gesturing to his dinner. "Or were you trained by wolves?"

Ignored the jab, Alan stepped through the door. "But sir, I have the test results, and you said to come to you at dinnertime," Alan responded.

"Ah, yes, the results," Victor remembered, waving him closer.

Alan cautiously placed his tablet in front of the older man.

Victor squinted before putting on his glasses. He scanned the test with a neutral expression before he raised an eyebrow.

"Wow," Victor breathed. He gestured to his wine glass and an unfilled glass. Alan handed both to him with a questioning look.

Victor poured his finest wine into both glasses. "Well, boy, congratulate me," He said.

"Why, sir?" Alan asked, accepting the other glass from Victor.

"Because I was right…again. Looks like we just got what we wanted. Cheers," He smirked as their glasses clinked together.

He hoped—no, prayed—that his last deed cemented his permanent allegiance to Apophis.

* * *

The Guardians of Anubis were seated in the clubhouse, which was above the pool area. They were peeking out of the windows, a clear view of the pool area.

Eddie had recovered from his occurrence earlier in the day. Though Patricia wanted him to stay home, Eddie was being stubborn—a trait both he and his wife possessed. He insisted on going, despite his wife's warnings.

When questioned about the event, he kept saying he didn't remember most of it, but he was mumbling something about a vision he had of a painting and a wooden manor. Everyone thought he was still suffering from hallucinations.

Amber paced around the pool area; she was dressed as an unsuspecting character—blue jeans, a sweatshirt, and a ponytail.

A hearing/listening device was situated into her ear, so she could hear their instructions. The gem was burning a hole in her jeans, and she nervously fidgeted.

She checked her watch and whispered hotly, "It's 8:10—where the hell is he?"

"I don't know, but—"

"Amber, get down!" Patricia commanded after seeing a vehicle slowly come to a stop in front of the pool area. "I have a feeling this isn't the guy."

The blonde ducked behind a row of chairs the same moment a burly man entered the area, carrying a gun.

A smaller and younger guy followed, glancing around for something. "Do you see anyone, Marvin?"

Marvin grunted. "I don't see anything—no one is here, and let's just get back to HQ. I don't want to miss Victor and the female captive of his."

Amber's eyes widened. She whispered into her device, "What does he mean?"

All she received were a few hushed whispers.

"Why are you so anxious to get back to HQ?" The younger man asked, still scoping the place.

"Didn't you hear? Victor is going to take that pretty captive of his and torture her until she reveals the location of the gem and staff."

Amber covered her mouth and stared ahead, tears escaping out of her eyes. She could hear a few strangled sobs coming from the clubhouse.

"But isn't she going to die in a few hours anyways?"

"Well, yeah, but in a few hours, it won't be July 31st anymore. And you know what happens on August 1st, Alan."

Alan grinned. "Yeah, I know. Okay, let's go."

They turned and exited the pool area. Seconds later, the vehicle started up and began to drive away.

Amber waited until the loud rumble of the vehicle vanished. She jumped out of her hiding spot. "They're going to torture her," She whispered. The sick thought of their methods of torture was too much for her, and the blonde retched—all over the patio.

Someone was rubbing her back and pulling her hair back as she vomited. Someone else was wearing comforting words into her ear.

Finally, Amber was well enough to lift her head. "Aren't we going to follow them?" She rasped.

Patricia nodded. "They've some cars, and we're going to follow them. Are you okay?"

Amber nodded weakly as the two women made their way into a car. Everyone else was already there, and Jerome pulled away as soon as the door shut.

Keeping a respectful distance from Alan and Marvin, they navigated through twisted roads and dark forests, driving to the outskirts of the resort.

Suddenly, they drove out into a cleared-out spot. Ten houses were neatly arranged in a circle, like a bunch of sorority houses. Two of ten houses were lit; the others were pitch-black.

Surprisingly, the vehicle with the two men stopped at a dark house. They got out and locked the door. Without a second thought, they traveled around to the back of the dark house.

Everyone began to get out of the car, but Eddie stopped Patricia.

"Whoa, you're not going in there," He said, his eyes gazing into hers.

"And why not?" She snapped. "If you can go in there after having a freak incident, I should be able to go, too. I'm going in there, and that's final."

"What about the baby?"

"…I'll stay out of sight, I promise."

"Guys, we really need to go! We're losing them!" Fabian snapped, getting annoyed. He raced out of the car, following by the others.

They took refuge behind a few shrubs, and they watched silently as Alan and Marvin moved behind a bush. A single door stood there. Instead of knocking, Marvin took something silver out of his bag and grunted as he did something.

"He's unscrewing the door," Jerome realized after seeing that the silver thing was a screwdriver.

Alan opened the door after Marvin arrogantly unlocked the door. The two slipped through the door, the telltale sound of a lock being bolted sounded through the still night.

The Guardians of Anubis ran to the door, inspecting the lock. It was a small hole, too small for a normal screwdriver.

Jerome cursed. "The screwdriver must be custom-made—who has anything small enough to fit in the hole?"

"Here, try this," Patricia handed Jerome a small twig from the ground.

Jerome carefully tried to use the twig to crack the lock, but instead, he cracked the twig in half.

They were running out of things to use…which was making Amber nervous. And when she was nervous, she did her nails…

Amber perked up. "Guys…" She said, handing her nail file to Jerome. "Do you think this will work?"

"It's worth a try…" And Jerome easily slid the small file into the hole and twisted it.

_Creak._

To their amazement, the door opened.

"Well, I'll be damned," Jerome whispered, handing the file back to Amber.

Amber smugly smiled. "Beauty helps you in the long run."

The five adults crept inside and through a narrow tunnel. Another door with a window above it was on the other end of the tunnel.

Not wanting to out themselves, they lifted the lightest person up to see what was going on: Amber.

Amber held up her phone as she was lifted up to the window, recording everything that was happening.

It was a secret chamber, not unlike the one in their house. A group of people were dressed in dark red cloaks and robes. They circled around a lone guy in a pure white robe and a figure.

The figure was an unconscious Nina, and she was out of that horrible tank. Her hands and feet were bound, and her mouth was gagged. Her shirt and shorts were ripped in various places, and some healing bruises speckled her arms and legs.

"She's out of the tank," Amber recited, sighing in relief. "But they gagged and bounded her. And some bruises are on her arms and legs. A bunch of weird people are surrounding her."

"Are they…doing anything?" Fabian nervously asked, gulping.

"Can you see their faces?" Jerome questioned.

"No, they aren't doing anything to her. And no, I can't see their faces. They're wearing weird masks over their faces…"

The cloaked men and women were chanting loudly, and the walls vibrated. The man in the white robe moved forward. He grabbed her face before pushing her away. He shouted a command at two people in robes, and they rushed forward.

Amber held her breath. "The leader just commanded two people forward…"

"What are they doing?"

Amber gaped as the two people stepped closer to Nina. To her surprise, they weren't harming her. They were grooming her.

"They're…preparing her for something," Amber whispered. "It's…wow, confusing…"

One person was brushing her hair, while the other applied some make-up to her face.

Soon, another person in a robe stepped forward. A beautiful, red gown was in its' hands, and the person presented it to the leader.

The leader nodded his/hers approval, and the third person carefully walked over to Nina and the two others.

The trio worked relentlessly on a few lingering details, before stripping her of her shirt and shorts, leaving her only in her undergarments. Quickly, they helped her step into the strapless gown.

Amber noticed another detail about the gown. "The gown…it doesn't look modern," Amber whispered to the others.

They zipped her up and adjusted her wavy hair, so that it fell over her bare shoulders. As they put shoes on her, another cloaked person stepped forward. This person was carrying a camera—not the modern camera, but one of those cameras that existed in the olden days. Another person trailed the cameraman, carrying a wide frame, which was covered by a sheet.

"T-they're about to take her picture…"

"Take a picture? What the hell is going o—"

The trio helped her to a stool and seated her. The person carrying the wide frame positioned the frame next to Nina. Slowly, they pulled back the covering.

"OH MY GOD." Amber not-so-quietly hissed, causing her to ungracefully fall back to the ground.

Jerome, gratefully, caught her before she twisted her ankle.

Amber's face was as pale as a ghost's.

"Amber, what happened?" Patricia asked.

Wordlessly, Amber handed her phone to Patricia.

It was photo of what was happening in the secret room. They were taking pictures of Nina, but the wide frame turned out to be a painting of a young woman.

The young woman was wearing a gown—almost identical to the gown Nina's captors dressed her in. She was stunning, with long locks and playful green eyes that hid a certain gleam of mystery. Her smile was flirty, but sweet at the same time.

It was dated back in the 19th century and was labeled an unfamiliar name, but that wasn't the strangest thing.

The woman strongly resembled Nina—no, the woman was Nina.

* * *

**(1) A bit of foreshadowing...**

**And the next chapter will be part one of the finale. I think this chapter nicely sets up the climax of the story.**

**I'm not going to PLL/Marlene King you, by bringing in more questions about the mystery at the end of the story. The sequel has nothing to do with an Egyptian mystery, but will have conflicts about their new lives. The sequel will be my first story that doesn't involve a mystery, which is a change for me. But change is good. :)**

**An update on the poll: Logan is still leading with 38% of the vote, while Madison follows with 33% of the vote. The twins are third place, with only 27% of the vote. But don't stop voting! The poll will go until the chapter Patricia goes into labor (which won't be until the sequel). That's plenty of time to ensure that your favorite name gets picked!**

**On a more personal note, did anyone else see the TCAs? The two highlights of the show were Lea and (Chris) Ashton Kutcher. Lea's speech was just…amazing, and she was so courageous. She is the epitome of bravery, and my respect for her grows every day.**

**And Ashton's speech was inspirational (by the way, his Steve Jobs impression is spot-on). He was casted perfectly to play Steve; it takes an incredible man to portray an equally incredible man.**

**Okay, I'm going to stop babbling. Don't forget to vote and review! :D**

**I love you guys! :D**

**-Morgan, xoxo**


	16. Chapter 16: House of Ceremonies

**Anything Could Happen**

**A/N: Wow, you guys are fast! Thank you for the lovely reviews!**

**Sorry for the long wait, but I had to write the chapter (I honestly thought it would take you guys a few days!).**

**I'm going to apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes or mistakes in general. I've been writing for almost ten hours straight-and I'm going on my**

** twelve cup of tea!**

**I was eating a quick dinner of pizza, when I finally checked my iPod. Freaking 147 reviews! Going above and beyond—I love you guys!**

**Onward to Part 1 of the finale!**

**Chapter 16—House of Ceremonies**

_Help me!_

Will opened his eyes and sat up, panting heavily. He was sweating bullets, but at the same time, he was freezing.

Getting up, he walked over to the window. All he could see was darkness, but he knew it was much more than that.

_Help me! Help me!_

Will fervently shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the persistent whispers. It sounded familiar—whoever it was definitely needed his help.

_Will, help me!_

_Mom? Will thought._

* * *

Joy fell back onto her bed. "Mara, have you ever kissed Mick?"

Mara looked up from her tablet. "Uh, no," She said, closing her tablet. "Why, you want to?"

Joy rolled over and propped herself up by her elbows. "Duh! I just know if this isn't a puppy love—he can be the One. But I won't know until I kiss him."

"Why do you need to kiss him? Can't you tell by looking into his eyes or something like that?" Mara inquired, confused. "That's how I knew I was in love with—"

Joy gasped. "You love Jerome?" She squealed.

Mara blushed. "This is about you. Just forget whatever I just said. Now, why do you need to kiss Mick?"

"Well," Joy began. "When my sister and I were young, we always talked about finding our princes and sealing it with a kiss—like in all of the Disney movies. But then, she died. Since she didn't get to find her Prince Charming, I tread carefully when finding my own Prince Charming."

"But if he's the One, wouldn't you know by not kissing him?" Mara asked softly.

Joy was quiet, contemplating Mara's words. "I don't know, Mara," She admitted. "The last time I was in love ended badly. He was lying to me the entire time, and he had a completely different life. He had a wife, a few kids, and a family back in Seattle. But it hurt because I thought he was the One."

"Remember this, Joy. You can always fall in and out of love, but if you love the guy, you will never stop loving him."

"But how do I know if I'm—I love Mick?"

"You just know."

Joy screamed in frustration, covering her face with a pillow. "Mara, you're not exactly helping!"

"Okay, I know I'm going to hell for this, but describe him."

"Describe?"

"Describe that guy you were in love with, and compare him to Mick," Mara instructed.

"Well, Christian was his name. Though, this might sound weird, but he didn't live up to his name. His name means spiritual, but Christian was the sleaziest jackass I've ever met. But I was blinded by "love". Mick's name means almost the same thing, but he actually lives up to his name. Though he hid behind fake, rude persona, he outgrew it and showed who he really is. Oh, and Christian had stupid brown eyes. But Mick has really blue eyes, and they just sparkle in the light—"

Mara smirked at Joy. "Joy?"

"Yes?"

"I think you just answered your own question."

"…holy shit! I love Mick."

* * *

Vera ran into the chamber, searching for Victor. She wasn't dressed in her red cloak, and she ignored the glares she received from the other members.

Spotting her husband in his white robe, she stepped forward, but was intercepted by Marvin and Alan.

"You're not wearing your uniform," Alan simply said and snapped his fingers.

Marvin began to push Vera to the back of the room, away from Victor.

"No! I need to see him!" Vera screamed. "It's important!"

"I don't care if you're the leader's wife, but you can't just break the rules like that!" Alan argued. "Rules are rules."

Vera glared at Alan. "Listen; you can bend over backwards for my husband, but I'm not taking this shit! Let me through!"

Marvin chuckled. "Hey, Al, she's feisty, isn't she?" He stroked Vera's cheek, and she recoiled. "Don't flinch away from me, sweetheart—"

Vera stopped Marvin short when she slapped him.

Marvin's grip on his gun tightened, and he discreetly clicked the gun off of safety. "That's not nice, sweetheart—"

"Vera!" Victor exclaimed, joining the trio. He pulled his white mask off and protectively grabbed Vera. "Are you okay?"

"Victor, you have to get out of here!" Vera shouted, her eyes darting from side to side. "He's close, and he's out for blood! He knows about you!"

"Knows about me? Dear, are you okay?" Victor questioned, holding her face still.

Vera pushed him away and grabbed his hand. "We are leaving," She commanded, heading for the door.

Alan and Marvin grabbed Victor's other hand. "Victor, we're also done taking pictures! Then, she'll wake up! Don't you want to torture her for the gem and staff?"

"Torture? Victor, do you hear what they're saying? We need to leave!" Vera argued.

"But Vera, we're Followers of Apophis. It's in our blood," Victor spoke, pulling his hand from hers. He nodded at Marvin. "Dispose of her, please," He commanded.

Marvin sleazily grinned. "Don't mind if I do," He said, grabbing Vera's arm.

The blonde squirmed, shouted, and fought against Marvin's tough grip.

Pained, Victor turned away from his wife, knowing what he did was right. But he didn't notice Alan reaching for Marvin's gun. If he did, he would've stopped what was about to happen-

_BANG._

Victor whirled around to find Vera on the ground, bleeding. Alan was holding the gun—he looked as stunned as Marvin, whom had crimson smeared on his t-shirt.

Victor crouched next to his wife and felt for a pulse. There wasn't one, since Alan shot her in the head. She was dead, and there was nothing he could do about that.

He yelled out in anguish and grief, lying across her body. Blood seeped into his robe, but he didn't care.

Alan dropped the gun and moved behind Victor. He hesitated before tapping him on his shoulder. "Sir—"

Victor turned around. His stormy eyes were the last thing Alan saw before Victor lunged forward and wrapped his meaty hands around his neck.

Victor began to choke Alan, watching with a sadistic grin as the color and life drained away from Alan.

It took Marvin and two other members to successfully pull Victor off of Alan. Victor was shoved against a wall as they inspected Alan.

It was too late. Alan was dead.

Victor glanced at the two dead bodies on the ground—he was indirectly responsible for one death, but the other death was committed in cold blood.

And he didn't regret killing Alan.

* * *

"Is that…?"

"I don't know! It just looks like her, but it isn't her! It's…Mary Dylan," Amber read from the barely readable plaque. "But why does Mary Dylan look like Nina?"

A light bulb went off above Fabian's head. "Mary Dylan?" He repeated as memories flooded back. "I know that surname," He muttered.

"Maybe it's a doppelganger," Patricia suggested.

"Okay, someone's been watching too many episodes of _Vampire Diaries_," Jerome mumbled, receiving a glare from the auburn-haired woman.

"I know that portrait—it was from my vision," Eddie added. "But what does Mary Dylan have to do with Nina?"

"I don't know, but we better get in there before something bad—"

_BANG._

The Guardians of Anubis jumped, and their eyes widened in horror. Eddie wrapped his arm around a frightened Patricia, while Jerome did the same for Amber. Fabian just stared at the door in shock.

"W-was that a gunshot?" Amber whimpered.

"I don't know, Amber," Jerome admitted, shaking a bit.

"We need to get in there," Fabian concluded, moving forward to open the door.

Jerome caught Fabian's hand before he twisted the knob open. "Whoa, we just heard a gunshot. We need to think logically about this."

"For what? Nina's possibly in there, bleeding to death on the floor. And we're just standing here, doing nothing? We have to go in there and help her!" Now, he was shouting. Sobs racked his body as images of Nina on the floor bleeding haunted his mind.

"I know you want to save her, but we need a plan. We can't just burst in there—they have guns, and we have lives hanging in the balance."

"I think I might have a plan," Eddie slowly stated. "But you," He pointed at Patricia. "You have to stay behind."

Patricia opened her mouth, but closed it when Eddie glared at her. "Okay," She shrunk back.

"Now, here's what we do—"

A booming voice was at the door. "Let us in!" He shouted. "It's locked!"

* * *

The cloaked members worked in silence—some people were taking care of Vera's and Alan's bodies. Others were catering to Nina, changing her into a pair of sweatpants, a tank top, and sneakers. Two people tied Victor down and knocked him out. Since he was an incompetent leader and his second and third in-commands were dead (Vera and Alan, respectively), Marvin was elected as leader. He handed off his gun and changed into the leadership robe. Though Marvin wasn't intelligent, he had the power to lead the Followers of Apophis.

The captive was stirring, since it was a few minutes to midnight.

Marvin kneeled in front of her and forcefully pulled her up. She gasped because he was holding her neck.

He grinned. "Now, it's my turn. You're going to tell me where the gem is."

"N-never," She wheezed.

He roared, tossing her aside like a rag doll.

She landed hard on her back and groaned. Rolling over, she shakily got to her feet.

He advanced towards her, but Nina was expecting that.

After she had divorced Rob and filed an abuse report against him, she was required to take self-defense classes. That was probably why she wasn't afraid to go to Hayden's house a few days ago. She knew she had that in her repertoire.

But when she was captured, they sedated her, dulling her senses. But now, she was wide awake.

Nina dodged his fist easily before launching a kick at his stomach. Marvin didn't assume that Nina would fight back and fell backwards. But he was trained in military combat—and he wasn't going to let a chick beat him.

Marvin attempted to punch her, but Nina caught his fist and tumbled backwards. He tried to kick her head, but she rolled over in time. But he stomped on her stomach and caught her flailing arms. He was wrestling with her, trying to get her to stay down.

They didn't notice the cloaked figure sneaking up on them.

_WHACK._

Marvin's eyes rolled back, and he slumped over Nina, suffocating her.

The cloaked person tossed aside his crowbar and picked Marvin up easily. He tossed Marvin to the side and picked Nina up.

Nina fought against the unfamiliar figure, thrashing.

"It's me," A gruff voice whispered into her ear.

"I don't know you!" She shouted, pushing him away as she fell back onto the ground.

The cloaked person leaned over her. "Evening, Miss," He said, sparking a memory. He took off his mask.

It was Hayden Finch.

"Hayden?" She murmured.

Hayden smirked. "Let's get you out of here—"

The lights suddenly shut off, and the chamber exploded into chaos. Hayden pushed Nina against him as he navigated through the other cloaked people.

Evil laughter filled the room as red fog appeared in the room.

"You have failed me! Now, I crush your lives under my foot!" He cackled, slowly taking the figure of a snake.

The snake began to coil around the room, hissing at everyone. Then, it began to attack the members, causing them to disappear into thin air.

Now, Hayden was tugging on Nina, running towards the door. He pulled on the door and kicked it. He cursed. "It's fucking locked!" He shouted over the chaos. He was yelling at the door for some reason, using the crowbar as a tool to unlock the door.

"Chaos—it's making him stronger," Nina realized. Then, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. It was a golden scale of sorts, and it was tipping dangerously. She stepped towards it and reached out to touch it, since it seemed to be beckoning her.

On the other side of the room, the serpent turned to glare at her. Then, the serpent figured it out. He tried to stop her, but it was too late.

The scale exploded, causing the room to be enveloped in golden rays.

The serpent howled as his skin began to turn into ashes. He zoomed towards Nina, fangs prepared to unleash hell. Then, someone jumped in front of her. Nina screamed as fangs entered her savior's arm.

An arm reached out and pulled Nina to safety. She was on top of a warm body, which turned out to be Hayden.

She scrambled off of him, trying to see who saved her life. She ignored the hands that were pulling her back.

Soon, the serpent slithered into nothing, and the body limped to safety behind the door.

The body smiled weakly before collapsing.

It was Fabian.

Nina felt numb as she tried to comprehend the sight in front of her—the love of her life was lying on the ground, presumably dying of a deadly bite.

She leaned over him, tears escaping her eyes. She removed his jacket and inspected the bite. It was infected and resembled Peeta's leg wound from the Hunger Games. Hopefully, his arm wouldn't need to be amputated.

He stroked her face gently. "N-Nina?"

"I'm here," She cried.

"I m-meant to give you this. A few days ago, I went to the cemetery and visited y-your," He coughed. "I visited your father's grave, and I asked him for permission."

"Permission to what?"

He didn't answer, but he managed to pull a Harry Winston box from his pocket.

All around them, their friends (and Hayden) gasped.

Her eyes widened. "Is this…?"

"Y-yes, it is. Nina Martin, will you m-marry me?" He asked, opening the box.

The ring was simply beautiful; it was platinum, circle-shaped diamond. The band was lined by smaller diamonds, which led to a small engraving—_My Chosen One_.

Nina remembered when he said that to her. They were cuddling after making love. It was the sweetest moment of her life, but this was a close second.

"I-I don't know what to say," Nina said.

"A simple yes or no would suffice," He chuckled dryly. "I know we've only known each other for three months, but I've fallen for you every single day. I promise to make you feel safe; I promise to love your son like my own son, until the day I die. I love you."

Their moment was broken when Patricia started to sob. "FUCKING HORMONES!" She wailed as Eddie wrapped a comforting arm around her.

Nina ignored her and was only staring at Fabian. "Yes."

"Y-yes?"

"Yes."

Fabian broke out in a grin before he gently grabbed her face and kissed her passionately.

Their friends watched with small smiles.

But the moment was cut short when he broke the kiss, a pained look on his face. He held his wound and pulled his hand back. His hand was covered in blood.

"Okay, I'd hate to interrupt your love fest—hey, congrats on the engagement—but we need to get the fuck out of here," Hayden said, noticing a shadow in the room. "The asshole is back—and he's back in black."

* * *

"123 souls, 123 souls…" The serpent hummed, slowly reviving. Looking around the destroyed chamber, he noticed a body in the corner.

It was Victor, and he was stirring.

"My head…" He mumbled, glancing up at the snake. He jumped a bit. "Master?"

"Wannabe," Apophis hissed, slithering around Victor.

Victor's eyes widened. "Wannabe? No, I'm loyal to you, dark lord!"

"Why do you have the mark of the enemy?" He hissed and gestured to Victor's exposed palm.

Victor instinctively covered it. "My lord, I can explain—"

"No need. I knew all along. I was just using you."

"Using me?" Victor questioned, wincing.

"You were another one of my hosts. That's partially why you were acting like Walter White on steroids," Apophis explained. **(1)**

"Partially?"

"Ah, yes. Anubis, come out, come out wherever you are!" Apophis called childishly.

A black shadow stepped out from behind Victor. "Apophis," He curtly answered.

"See, Victor, that's why I'm partially responsible—and he's also responsible. You know what happens when you're possessed by two gods?"

"You die, right? Or spin out of control, struggling between doing good and bad?"

"Correct—and you were possessed by two gods: Anubis and me."

"B-but that's impossible! Anubis can only possess his descendants, and I'm not his…descendant. I'm a descendant of Apophis!"

"…Victor, you idiot. Your father lied to you. Your father was an imposter. He was Anubis's descendant, but wanted to turn to the dark side. So, he fabricated a lie and said he was my descendant."

Victor turned to the dark shadow. "Is that true?"

The black shadow nodded.

"Who do you think killed your father?" Apophis cruelly laughed. "And now, I'm about to do the same thing to do. Like father, like son, hmm?"

Victor turned back to Anubis. "Why did you possess me?"

"I was trying to pull you back into the original bloodline," Anubis admitted.

"But now, it's too late," Apophis proudly proclaimed.

"Not if my Guardians can help it," Anubis fired back.

"…but I know the Chosen Ones now," Apophis hissed. "And they're going to painfully die after unbalancing Ma'at for me."

"That's never going to happen."

"Your descendant was converted into a Follower of Apophis—anything could happen," Apophis smirked. "Enjoy the world while you can, Anubis."

* * *

**I know it was a short chapter, but it wasn't short on drama, was it?**

**(1) See, even Apophis watches **_**Breaking Bad**_**!**

**Since you guys responded to my quota so quickly (and got rewarded in the same day), I'm going to set a quota for the next chapter.**

**The quota is a bit higher (so you can take a longer time to fulfill the quota-hey, I need time to sleep and eat!), but it's still reasonable—14+ reviews for the next chapter, please. **

**I have nothing else to say, but damn—there were so many revelations in this chapter! :D You guys deserve it; I seriously have the best fans ever. Love you guys!**

**-Morgan, xoxo**


	17. Chapter 17: House of Ma'at

**Anything Could Happen**

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing! Sorry it took so long. I had to go to high school orientation and plan routes to my classes. Turns out, I have only one class in the same building where my locker is. Bummer. :(**

**Another reason I haven't updated is because I've recently been suffering from weird migraines—I mostly spend my days squinting, taking meds, and wearing my awesome Ray-Bans. It's like I have a hangover, except I haven't had an alcoholic drink in my life (hey, I'm underage, not stupid!).**

**Read an important A/N at the end of this chapter, please. :D**

**Dedication: I dedicate this chapter to Adam Torres from Degrassi. R.I.P.**

**Chapter 17—House of Ma'at**

"Hey, can I talk to you?"

Katherine looked up from her novel and took off her glasses (which Alfie secretly found sexy). "Yeah?"

Alfie took that as an invitation to enter her room. He took a seat on her desktop chair and swiveled around. "Nice room," He lamely said.

"You know, it's just a room," Katherine replied. "So, what's up? I haven't talked to you since the party."

"Well, yeah—you were pretty wasted," Alfie remarked.

Katherine flushed red. "I seriously don't remember that. Actually, I don't remember how I ended up safely in bed—huh, maybe I sleepwalked."

"…Katherine, you know you didn't sleepwalk."

"Well, then, Santa Claus must exist."

"Katherine!"

"Alfie, I know it was you. You just want me to fall back into your arms, so we can ride off into a magical sunset. I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen!"

"I didn't want to do that—I was just being nice."

"Your actions have double meanings, Alfie," Katherine softly responded.

"…Fine! Is that what you wanted me to say?"

"Say what?"

"That I still love you? That I forgive you for cheating on me?"

Katherine's face softened.

"You're so caught up in me getting mad at you, but did you think about my feelings for once? The love of my life was cheating on me, right before I was about to propose. Remember? I know I'm not perfect. Hell, I probably bore you to hell with my alien lifestyle. But you know what? I loved you."

"Loved?" Katherine whimpered, noticing the 'd' on the end of the word.

Alfie froze. "I don't know anymore," He finally answered. "But until you figure it out, I'm done. Goodbye, Katherine."

And as Alfie left, a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. He didn't once look back, or he would have seen Katherine crying and calling out his name.

* * *

Outside of the cabin, a figure looked away from the window. Shivering from nonexistent chills, the figure wrapped a small hoodie around itself.

Taking a deep breath, the figure disappeared into the dark forest.

* * *

"Motherf—what the hell do you eat?" Hayden grunted, almost dropping Fabian to the ground.

Fabian chuckled weakly. "Uh, food?"

"All right, I think we need to stop—god, I knew I should've taken that cardio class," Jerome wheezed.

He and Hayden began to lower Fabian to the ground before taking a seat on the forest floor. Soon, everyone else followed. They sat in a circle, and Jerome's phone was used as a light.

Patricia, being the nurse she was, began to check Fabian's wound. "Where the hell are we going? And why couldn't we take the car?" Patricia mumbled.

"Because, a car would have been more noticeable," Hayden argued.

"Yeah, more noticeable than a group of adults walking through a dark forest at nighttime," Patricia snorted, bandaging the wound back up. "Hey, how did you get out of the hospital, anyways? I thought they were holding you in the city."

"I escaped—it's amazing what a quickie and five hundred dollars can do for a desperate nurse..."

Patricia glared at him.

Hayden glared back and continued. "Anyways, I wanted to show you this—I took it from Victor's crazy house," He said, pushing a small journal towards the middle of the circle. "It's a journal of sorts."

The journal was worn and leather bound. The journal was so miniscule that it could fit into someone's pocket easily. Pieces of string held the log together. In gold, a small title graced the cover.

"It's a journal all about Apophis and other stuff. Turn to page 14," Hayden commanded.

Jerome grabbed the journal, using his phone light as a guide. "_The Chosen Ones_," He read, raising an eyebrow.

Hayden gestured for him to continue.

Jerome cleared his throat. "The Chosen Ones have the power to unbalance Ma'at temporarily. But to unbalance Ma'at permanently, you would need all of the Chosen Ones, the Staff of Osiris, the Frobisher-Smythe gem, the blood of the Guardians of Anubis, and the correct number of souls. The Chosen Ones are split up into four different deities. There is the Paragon, which is the second most powerful. He/she is the host for Isis, making his/her source of power magic-based. Next is her main protector, the Osirian. He/she is a host for Osiris, making his/her source of power compatible with death and the underworld. Then, there's the Horus. He/she is a fierce warrior, having a war god as a host. He/she is thought to be the protector of the Chosen Ones, having the ability to summon falcons as warriors. He/she needs the Eye of Horus to operate, which is believed to be with the…Paragon…guys?"

Jerome turned the book. "This is the Eye of Horus, and it looks familiar…"

The group squinted and leaned forward.

Amber gasped. "Nina, that's your—"

Nina grasped her neck, which the necklace usually was. "The necklace…"

Hayden looked between the Guardians. "I'm sorry, but what happened?"

"Nothing," Jerome answered too quickly.

Hayden crossed his arms. "Come on, I'm in this with you! You know my actions weren't entirely my fault—yeah, I did flirt with Nina, but some of the extreme shit was done by Apophis. I mean, yeah, I wanted to date her and—"

"If you were wise, you would shut up," Fabian said through gritted teeth.

"Whatever! But I swear; I'm not possessed…right now!"

"Then, prove it," Patricia glowered.

Hayden glared before he began to remove the red robe he wore.

"Whoa, we didn't mean it that way…"

Hayden ignored her and continued to strip down to his Armani boxers. Eddie discreetly covered Patricia's and Nina's eyes.

Amber only raised her eyebrow. "I've seen bigger than that…"

Hayden winced. "Hey, I take offense to that!"

"Get on with it!" Patricia shouted, impatient.

"Okay, whenever a person is possessed, their birthmark lights up in a color. Since Apophis is represented as a demon of sorts, my birthmark turns red. See?" And Hayden turned to show the group a small dot on his back. It was the same color as his flesh, not bloody red.

"He's right," Jerome said as he flipped pages in the journal. "It says it right here."

Hayden smugly grinned. "Now, what's this about a necklace?" He asked, sitting down. He didn't even bother to change back into his robe—nope, he just wore his boxers.

"Well, we found a chamber in the cabin we were staying in."

"Wait, what's the cabin?"

"Um…it's the Frobisher-Smythe Cabin."

Hayden cursed. "Never mind, go on."

"We found a necklace on the table, and I think Nina has it in her room. Is that what they were looking for when they captured you?" Fabian asked his fiancée.

Nina opened her mouth to respond when Hayden coughed loudly, embarrassed.

"Um," He squeaked. "I might have ordered that capture…voluntarily." He held his hands out, in case someone attacked him. "Apophis told me that he would keep Nina safe if he had the necklace. Somehow, he knew you guys had it. I didn't want Nina mixed up in this, so I did it. Victor and his goons went to capture Nina—by the way, keep it down, you crazy animals!"

"What do you mean?"

Hayden laughed. "They heard the headboard banging from outside."

The guilty parties blushed while everyone stifled their laughs.

"But why did they stab me with a freaking needle and put me in a tank?" Nina asked.

"I don't know! Victor went rogue on me, along with Apophis!"

"How did you know Victor?"

"Well, my father knew and hired him. And…uh, Victor has some dirt on me," Hayden said, fidgeting a bit.

"What kind of dirt?"

"…I accidently murdered my father!" He blurted and covered his mouth. His broad shoulders sagged as he began to tell the story. "It was when Apophis and I were bonding. When you bond, you have volatile emotions. One day, I started to act weird. My eyes were clouded over red, and I was mumbling something weird. Next thing I knew, I was in my father's study." A tear slipped down Hayden's face. "I can't remember it—I actually can't remember murdering my own father," He bitterly laughed. "But Victor sure remembers it."

The group sat in silence, trying to comprehend what Hayden just said.

Suddenly, Jerome perked up. "Wait, did you start shaking? Were your vitals off?" He fired questions at the half-naked man.

Hayden shrugged. "I don't know, but when I woke up, my forehead was burning up."

Patricia figured it out. "So, Eddie was bonding with…what?"

"His eyes were blue—both times, actually. Remember when he attacked me a few days ago?"

"Whoa, attacked?" Nina questioned, looking between the two.

"Long story."

Jerome was flipping through the pages of the journal. "Certain Chosen Ones bond to their hosts and experience volatile side effects. Like, shaking, yelling, and a high fever. If your eyes change color, the color determines your identity. And blue means…"

"Well?" Patricia snapped.

Jerome's eyes flickered up to look his friends in the eye. "Blue means…Osirian. And other Chosen Ones have different changes when bonding to their hosts. The Paragon is known to sprout a beautiful pair of wings. Horus is known to get a mark on his palm. Ra is known to display extraordinary feats."

"I think we should get back home and secure the necklace," Eddie suggested, snapping out of his trance. "We can figure out what the hell is going on there."

* * *

Mara knocked on Joy's door.

"Come in!" Was Joy's cheerful reply.

Mara opened the door. "Hey, can I talk to you—what are you doing?"

Joy's room looked like a tornado blew through her room. Papers and clothes were scattered all over the floor and bed. Joy's laptop was open, and a digital sketch of a gown was half-drawn.

Speaking of the small brunette, she was upside down on her bed, talking to someone. She closed her phone and turned to Mara with a smile. "Hey, what's up?"

"What are you doing?" Mara asked slowly.

"Oh, nothing…I'm just preparing to move back to London!" Joy shrieked.

"What? Are you kidding?" Mara asked.

Joy nodded, and the two women embraced.

As they hugged, Mara thought about how the two had a rocky friendship in the beginning, but now, their friendship was rock solid; Mara had gotten over her envy of the smaller woman, and Joy had gotten over Jerome.

"Yeah—I took Mick's sister's invitation to work at her fashion company. I move into my flat next week!"

"That's great!"

"Okay, now what's up with you? You sound excited, too," Joy asked, gesturing for Mara to take a seat on her desktop chair.

Mara took a deep breath. "I quit my job," She announced.

Joy's eyes widened. "Your job as a world-class surgeon?"

Mara nodded. "And I called the precinct Jerome works at. Turns out, Jerome is a consultant detective, and I can be his partner/intern—he just has to train me. Kind of like _Elementary_ and/or _Sherlock_."

Joy looked apprehensive. "Are you sure you want to throw everything away for Jerome? And will he let you? You love being a surgeon, Mara."

Mara smiled. "That's where you're wrong, Joy. I love being a surgeon, but I love Jerome more. I don't need a huge salary—I just need the love of my life, and I'm floating on cloud nine."

* * *

The Guardians (and Hayden) traveled through the dense forest in constant chatter, since Amber insisted that talking helped to ease her nerves.

"I better have rock-hard abs when I'm done here," Jerome complained.

"I already have rock-hard abs," Hayden boasted, gesturing to his chiseled physique.

"Again, I've seen better than that!" Amber added.

"Can it, Princess of Failed Relationships!"

"Oh, yeah? And this is coming from a man in a pink suit!" Amber scoffed.

"Pink is very…uh, educated for a young gentleman! Like in _The Great Gatsby_!" Hayden protested.

"There's only one man that can pull off a pink suit, and he's currently filming Season 5 of _Glee_!" Amber retorted.

"Will you both shut the hell up?" Patricia snapped.

"How are those hormones treating you, Trixie?" Jerome teased.

"I could hit you right now…"

"Oh, please don't," says Fabian, whom was being carried by Jerome. "Already bleeding here…"

"Guys, we're here," Nina interrupted their little scuffle.

Both she and Eddie had been quiet since Jerome had read the journal. It was evident that whatever he said had an effect on them.

The cabin came in view. Only a few lights were on, considering Mick was in the city for a conference, and the other occupants were asleep.

The group sighed in relief and hurried towards the back door, where they could slip into the secret chamber without attracting attention.

"I'm going to check up on Will," Nina mumbled, turning to run up the stairs.

"Hey, are you okay?" Eddie asked, grabbing her arm.

"Yeah," She shrugged him off and continued up the stairs.

She was almost up the stairs when she tripped over an invisible object. Nina lurched back and stumbled down the stairs. Luckily, she landed on her back, sparing her of serious injuries.

Eddie rushed to her aid and turned her over. Others rushed to her side, and Fabian attempted to, but his injury restricted him.

"Nina, can you hear me?"

She didn't respond. Slowly, her eyes were turning a different color. "Turn me over," She rasped, closing her eyes in pain. "Shit, I haven't felt this much pain since I was pregnant with Will."

Eddie dryly chuckled. "Jerry, are you ready?"

Jerome nodded. "One…"

"Two…"

"Three," The two whispered in unison as they lightly flipped her over.

Bulges were coming from the back of her borrowed jacket. Without hesitation, Jerome removed her jacket, leaving her only in a college t-shirt.

"Holy shit," Eddie breathed.

Everyone else just stared in silence as Nina relaxed and fell unconscious. But that wasn't the most jaw-dropping thing.

Slowly, a pair of multi-colored, almost transparent wings sprouted from her back.

"Quick, let's go downstairs," Eddie commanded, lifting Nina up on his shoulder effortlessly.

Many gaped at his sudden strength, but he ignored them as he walked towards the chamber. Everyone but Jerome and Amber followed silently, worried.

"Go and get her necklace," Jerome said to Amber.

"What if I don't know where it is?"

"Tear the room apart—don't stop until you find that necklace."

Amber mock-saluted Jerome. "Okay, sir," She answered before running upstairs.

Jerome sighed before pulling the journal out of his pocket. He turned back to the page about colors and the Chosen Ones. He noted what color Nina's eyes were turning—silver—and found the color on the neat table.

He already suspected Eddie was the Osirian, but what would that make Nina?

Jerome's jaw dropped when he found the answer. "Well, that's a twist," He mumbled. "I'll be damned—Nina is the Paragon."

* * *

Apophis slithered silently through the forest. He carried Victor on his back, having knocked him out earlier. Anubis had simply disappeared after their little chat. Why? Well, that was completely beyond the serpent. But he was going to use that to his advantage.

Slowly, the disappointment of a man began to stir on his back. "W-where are we going?"

"_You_ are to die with your rightful group, and _I'm_ going to conquer the world," Apophis hissed.

"You'll never unbalance Ma'at," Victor said after a sudden surge of confidence. "You need—"

"123 souls, yes, I know," Apophis hummed. "And that just happens to be the exact number at this retreat. I'm going to transfer my deceased army into your wimpy humans."

Victor's eyes widened in horror and disbelief. "I can't believe I fell into your mind game," He mumbled.

Apophis flicked his fork tongue. "But, oh, yes, you did!" He gleefully stated. "And look—we're here." The serpent came to a stop in front of the Frobisher-Smythe cabin. "Ah, yes: the HQ of the Guardians of Anubis," He explained. "Also, according to your blood test, at least two Chosen Ones live here—the Paragon and the reincarnation of Ra."

"B-but," Victor stuttered, "I only did a blood test for the young woman, who turned out to be the Paragon. Where did you find the reincarnation of Ra?"

Apophis smiled, revealing rows of jagged fangs. "Can you say _mitochondria DNA_?" He sneered.

Then, Victor figured it out. "Oh my god…" He mumbled, slipping from Apophis' back.

"See, you aren't completely dumb, my boy!" A familiar voice rang out from behind him.

Victor swiveled around to find his father behind him. "Father…" He whispered, charging towards the figure.

The figure disappeared before Victor could reach him. Confused, Victor began to back up.

A moment later, the figure returned. But this time, he was different; from the neck up, he looked like Victor Sr. But from the neck down, he resembled Apophis, with tail and scales.

Apophis/Victor Sr. began to crawl towards Victor, laughing. "You'll always be a disappointment to me," Both chanted in unison before Apophis' tail whacked Victor in the face.

Victor slumped to the ground, an expression of betrayal frozen on his face.

Apophis morphed back into himself, pleased that he was able to take Victor out with a single blow. He quickly gathered him onto his back again.

As Apophis slithered around to the back of the cabin, he failed to notice a small figure in the darkness, watching him.

The figure's green eyes, which were the only things visible in the shadows, were slowly turning to gold.

* * *

"We should probably get Mara to look at your wound, but this should keep the infections away," Patricia said, snipping the edge of the bandage with scissors.

Fabian wasn't listening to her; instead, he chose to stare at his fiancée, which was still lifeless on a table. "Look at her—she looks so peaceful," He murmured.

"As peaceful as you can be with an Egyptian terror running around," Patricia added, setting the scissors aside.

"Do you think it was a mistake?" Fabian questioned.

Patricia was floored. "What, you proposing to the love of your life?" She snorted. "Are you really going to throw that way—we seriously spent four hours with Amber in a Harry Winston store, searching for the perfect ring."

"I mean, was it too quick? We've only known each other for three months."

"Okay, yes; that part is true. But out of all of her friends, you know her the best."

"I doubt it," Fabian scoffed.

"What's her favorite flower? Favorite band? Favorite book?"

"Tulips, _Duran Duran_, and _To Kill a Mockingbird_," He answered without hesitating. Then, it sunk it. "Holy shit…"

Patricia just smirked at him. "Told ya! I didn't even know she liked _Duran Duran_! And it doesn't matter if you're engaged—you don't have to get hitched immediately. Take a long engagement. Get to know each other more—if that's even possible. Live life to the fullest."

Their conservation was interrupted when Jerome ran into the chamber, his eyes flashing. "Hayden," He growled. "You didn't tell me about the reincarnation of Ra."

"Reincarnation?" Patricia questioned.

"Oh, yeah! You see, Ra—"

"Ra was once the king of the gods. He was overthrown by Horus, but is still considered powerful," Fabian answered, completely ignoring Hayden's glare. "I, uh, went on an expedition in Egypt a few years ago."

"And," Hayden interrupted. "The last Chosen One is supposedly the reincarnation of Ra—he/she is the most powerful Chosen One ever. He is the most important tool needed for unbalancing Ma'at."

"Who is it?"

"Well, according to this journal, he/she is supposed to have gold eyes. Well, that'll be easy," Jerome snapped. "Let's just go around and ask people if they have gold eyes!"

"Hey, it's better if he/she's safe from Apophis' grasp," Hayden argued, getting closer to Jerome. He jabbed a finger at him. "If they are hidden, the world is safe. Apophis only has one night to do this—he's waited a billion years to do this. We just need to keep everything calm and collected—"

An explosion shook the house as a part of the wall fell away, revealing the back of the cabin. Everyone swayed, holding onto something stable.

The lights flickered before ultimately going out.

A silhouette of a snake appeared in the large-sized hole.

Jerome prayed that Mara, Joy, Alfie, Katherine, and the kids didn't hear that.

"Well, well," The snake hissed as the lights returned. "Look who it is—the Guardians of Anubis…" Then, Apophis noticed Nina on the table and her wings. "Oh, look—it's the Paragon. And she's _so_ defenseless…" He noticed a pair of scissors on the table. He smirked. "Well, you don't have to worry about her anymore!"

And he used his telekinetic powers to fling the pair of scissors at Nina.

Everything was happening in slow-motion. Screams of terror emitted. No one was close enough, even though Eddie dove to save her.

Suddenly, a golden ray flew out of nowhere and grabbed the scissors. It landed in front of Apophis, whom looked up in confusion.

A small figure stood in gaping hole, his/her face hidden by the shadows. Suddenly, he/she collapsed.

Jerome sprinted towards the small figure. He began to turn over the figure and gasped.

It was…

* * *

**HA! Cliffhanger! I'm pretty sure you know who the figure is—I dropped like twenty hints.**

**Uh, I don't know; this chapter felt terrible to me. :( IDK-you can tell me what you think in the reviews.**

**Okay, since the quota thing is going so well, I set the quota at 20+ reviews for the next chapter, which will be the next-to-the-last full chapter. All of revelations are still coming!**

**SPECIAL A/N: If you watch Degrassi and/or go on Tumblr a lot, you would know that the writers of Degrassi (or what I like to call them 'DegrASSi') recently just killed off Adam Torres. Why? I have no idea, but the revelation shocked me. I couldn't believe it; never mind that Adam was the first main character in TV history that was transgender, but he wormed a way into my heart. He will always be special to me. R.I.P.**

**SPECIAL A/N 2: I've been looking at the poll, and the results are really shocking. I would've never thought that twins would actually be leading the poll (haven't counted the anon votes yet)—hell, some people even voted for triplets (just to make that clear, Trixie doesn't have the opinion of triplets). Now, some people are saying that it would be weird for Peddie to have two sets of twins (Francis and Julia, plus Peddie's biological children)—which I totally agree with. But I've done some research. Most women that have trouble conceiving are often prescribed fertility meds, which can result in twins or even triplets (no triplets—that is final!). And, since Patricia is a twin, she has a higher risk of having twins. So, whatever the outcome is, it should make sense. :)**

**-Morgan, xoxo**


	18. Chapter 18: House of Ra

**Anything Could Happen**

**A/N: Hey! I've decided to drop the quota, since it's really not fair. **

**My high school experience is…okay. It wasn't spectacular, but it wasn't terrible.**

**And I got a C+ on my Honors Geometry test. :( I feel terrible, and the stress of high school got to me. I broke down at least twice. But thank goodness for a long weekend! I spent at least 20 hours watching Gossip Girl and reading **_**The Fault in Our Stars**_**.**

**And I'm thinking about running for secretary or treasurer (for my freshmen class).**

**Enough about me! Let's get onto the story.**

**Chapter 18—House of Ra**

"Will?" Jerome weakly stated.

Will didn't respond as his gold eyes fluttered shut.

Jerome didn't hesitate when he pressed his head to Will's small chest. There was a faint beating, but it was getting slower and fainter.

Someone raced to Will's side. It was Fabian, and he obviously distressed. Without hesitation, he lifted his future son and quickly transported him to a table.

"The reincarnation of Ra," Apophis hissed, pleased. "This should be easy!"

"What do you want?" Patricia shouted at the serpent. "You've caused us so much pain, and for what?"

Apophis leaned forward and grinned. His yellow fangs gleamed in the candlelight. "Chaos, my dear. Can't you feel it? Coursing through your veins? Empowering you?"

"You're just a rejected Sesame Street freak," Patricia taunted.

The serpent recoiled, glaring. "Don't you dare compare me to that stupid show!" He roared, getting closer.

"Oh, I'm so scared! What are you doing to do? Hit a pregnant woman?" She questioned, gesturing to her small baby bump.

"Not hit you, my dear. You are too valuable," He stated, moving away from her. "Where is it?" He asked Hayden.

Hayden scoffed. "What makes you think I'm on your side? You almost killed me!"

"But you survived, hmm?"

"…Still not telling you."

Apophis scowled, hissing. "Then, say goodbye…"

"What the hell are you looking for?" Jerome questioned, causing them both to turn.

"The gem and staff, of course," Apophis answered. "That's what the Guardians of Anubis are supposed to guard, along with the Chosen Ones. Needless to say, you are not good at doing your job."

Jerome was quiet, thinking. "Frobisher-Smythes…"

"What about them?"

"The people in the tanks—what do they have to do with this?" Jerome questioned, circling the snake in full-on detective mode.

Apophis whirled around, following Jerome's movements with his red, beady eyes. "They were the previous Guardians of Anubis. Then, Victor captured them and tortured them for information. Eventually, they died."

"What about Mary Dylan?" He asked casually. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amber peeking from around the corner. He gestured for her to stay silent.

"She's an ancestor of the Frobisher-Smythes and the Rodenmaars," Apophis answered smoothly. "And what's with all of the questions?"

"What, can't a man get some answers before dying at the hands of an Egyptian terror?" Jerome replied sarcastically. "Now, last question: why does Mary Dylan look like my friend, Nina?"

"Mary Dylan is also a direct ancestor of Ms. Martin."

"That means…" Jerome trailed off.

"Yes. The Frobisher-Smythes, the Rodenmaars, and Ms. Martin are relatives." Apophis responded. "Now, it's my turn for questions. Where are the gem and staff?"

"You see, that's the problem. We have the gem, but we don't know where the staff is. Frankly, we don't even know what the hell the staff is."

Apophis glared at Jerome before grabbing Hayden by his neck. "Tell him about the staff," He demanded.

Hayden choked. "Can't talk if you're choking me," He gasped.

Apophis loosened his grasp. "Speak."

Hayden cleared his throat and looked straight at Jerome. "The Staff of Osiris," He began slowly, "is a critical tool in unbalancing Ma'at. It's unclear how it is formed, or what it looks like, considering no one has unbalanced Ma'at."

"Until tonight, at least," Apophis added. "Now, where is it?"

"You heard the half-naked man—I don't know what it is or what it looks like," Jerome answered. He discreetly twisted his hand behind his back and made a gesture to Amber.

Amber moved closer to the light, ready for his command.

"Well, you better figure it out," Apophis threatened, stepping closer.

"Or what?" Jerome slowly asked before snapping his fingers.

Amber ran out of her hiding spot and handed Jerome the necklace before ducking back into a safe place.

Jerome held the necklace above his head. "Or what?" He repeated stronger, watching as Apophis' eyes widened in surprise, shock, and (ironically) fear. "Or I'll smash this necklace? And put an end to this stupid charade?"

"You wouldn't," Apophis hissed.

Jerome drily chuckled. "Try me—you've endangered the lives of my friends. And payback's a bitch." Then, Jerome raised the necklace higher and dropped it.

Everyone watched silently as the necklace fell slowly to the ground.

Apophis screamed in agony, slithering in pain as he awaited the impending doom.

Except, it never came.

The necklace was floating in midair, only centimeters from the floor. It was surrounded by an orange glow, which led to the palm of…an awake and responding Victor.

He yanked his hand backwards, and the necklace followed. It eventually landed in his palm, and he stared at it in amazement.

"I'm the Horus," He murmured in surprise. All of those notes he recorded were now just ammo against him.

His gaze fell to the young child on the table. He was once like that—young, naïve, and happy. But because of his stupid actions, that kid was tainted for life and doomed to die at the hands of Apophis.

Victor's gaze followed from the boy to his mother. The boy's mother was being tended to by a young gentleman. He obviously cared for her.

_Unlike how your father cared for your own mother, a voice said in his head. _

Victor shook his head, trying to rid his head of the memories. He slipped the necklace on, feeling the power restore him to his original self.

He was a Guardian of Anubis, whether or not his father said so. He was the Horus, a fierce warrior.

And he was about to kick some ass.

A loud squawk sounded, and a faint figure surged forward. The figure raced towards Apophis, before dissipating into a swarm of falcons.

They attacked Apophis, buying enough time for Jerome to take refuge under a table. Victor stood tall, waiting for Apophis to attack.

The serpent roared in anger, swatting the last imagery falcon away. He caught Victor's eye, and the demon had the nerve to wink.

"You're too late. I've already won," Apophis stated. "I have the Horus, Osirian, Ra, and Paragon in one room."

"So? You don't have the staff, and you know what that means? Game over," Victor shouted. "You lose!"

"I've waited over a millennium for this. I've learned some tricks," Apophis hissed. "You said no one knows how to make the staff…but I have an idea. And it has to do with you four," Apophis' eyes flickered from Nina, Will, Eddie, and Victor.

Precipitously, all of them started to twitch. Victor and Eddie fell unconscious, too.

"Stop it!" Someone shouted at Apophis, but he only grinned.

Blue, gold, silver, and orange radiances ascended from their bodies. The glows surrounded Apophis, and he chortled. He was lifted a few inches off of the floor, and the glows surrounded him.

He began to murmur, and Hayden knew exactly what he was doing.

"No!" He shouted, grabbing a nearby book. He threw it at Apophis, but it only deflected off of the force field. He continued throwing stuff, getting agitated as time passed.

Suddenly, Fabian figured it out. "You need to wake someone up and break the connection!" He shouted and began to shake Nina.

Amber caught on and began to shake her godson. Patricia followed suit.

"Come on, you big oaf!" She sobbed. For once in her life, Patricia was truly afraid. She slapped him from left to right and screamed in his face. "Think about Francis and Juliana! Think about your child," She said, wildly gesturing to her stomach. "Think about me, please," She quietly murmured, leaning against him.

Unknown to her, his hand was twitching. And finally, it rested on her back, frightening her.

Curious green eyes stared back at her. "Trixie, why are you crying?" He asked, stroking her face.

"I thought I lost you," She whispered, her lips ghosting his.

"Hello! Creepy dude still here! This is no time for making out! You're already pregnant!" Hayden shouted as Apophis neared them.

Eddie pushed Patricia out of the way as soon as Apophis pinned him against the wall.

"I can't kill you, but I'll sure as hell make you feel pain." And he opened his mouth and lunged for Eddie's arm.

_CLANK._

Something hit Apophis over the head, and the giant serpent twisted around to see a giant tire iron floating midair.

The tire iron struck Apophis again, and he roared in angry. He surged forward, but was met with empty air.

Something tapped him on the shoulder, and he foolishly turned. The tire iron hit him between the eyes, and finally, the serpent dissipated into nothing.

It was quiet as everyone struggled to get to their feet.

Hayden surrounded the spot where Apophis disappeared. "He'll be back," He promised. "He's just fighting his way from hell." Hayden turned to the floating tire iron. "Nice job, Nins, but how in hell did you do that?"

Nina appeared, holding the tire iron. "I have no freaking idea," She murmured.

"When Eddie broke the connection, that woke everyone up," Fabian offered.

"Where did you find the tire iron? I thought I left the tire iron back at the other place?" Hayden asked.

"I found it by the tanks," She answered. Then, she noticed Will stirring. "What the hell? Why is my son here?" She demanded, rushing to his side.

Jerome placed a hand on her shoulder. "H-he appeared out of nowhere. He saved your life after Apophis tried to kill you."

"How?"

"Nina, he's a Chosen One."

"What? That's impossible!" She protested.

"Actually, it makes sense," Hayden spoke up. "Will is the most powerful, considering he has DNA from three dominant families. I don't know why I didn't figure it out earlier."

"Because you're a dumbass?" Amber suggested.

Nina noticed Victor, with her necklace on. "What is he doing here?" She questioned.

"He's the Horus—long story," Hayden assured her. "We need to get out of here now—"

"Shh, Will's waking up. Oh, Will," She whispered.

Will's eyes fluttered open, and he blinked a couple of times. "Mom?" He croaked. "Is that really you?" He reached out to touch her cheek.

Nina smiled. "Yes, it's really me. Mommy's here to stay, okay? Are you okay?" She asked, checking him over for any cuts or bruises.

"Mommy, I'm okay. Mommy…why do you have wings on your back?" He questioned sleepily.

Nina felt her back. "Wings?" She asked, confused. Then, she caught sight of herself in a nearby mirror. Multi-colored wings sprouted from her back. "Oh shi—Will, it's a costume party. See? These are completely fake," She lied. "Come on, let's get you to bed," Nina said and headed towards the door, with Will safely in her arms.

A red ray hit the door, making Will and Nina scream in fear. They cowered back as a red smoke surrounded them.

"Nina! Will!" Fabian screamed, attempting to move, but his poisonous bite was rendering him paralyzed.

"Oh, isn't this a lovely sight! Mother and son together, just seconds before they die!" A throaty voice spoke from the red fog.

"Mommy, who's that?" Will asked, covering his eyes.

Nina gritted her teeth. "It's nothing, honey," She assured him, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Just close your eyes, cover your ears, and count to an hundred loudly."

Will obeyed, shouting over Apophis' fearful words.

"It's almost time..." Apophis hissed. "Give me the gem and staff, now!"

Nina stayed silent and only glared at him. "Never," She said.

Apophis boomed, and little red lightning strikes began to surround the mother and her child.

Nina cowered, narrowly missing the deadly strikes.

Victor charged into the red cloud and summoned his falcons, but the falcons were hit by lightning and died quickly.

Hayden began to throw items at the serpent, trying to slow it down.

Eddie frantically searched for something he could try when he saw the tire iron. It was glowing orange, silver, blue, and gold at the same time. Egyptian symbols marred the side.

To his amaze, the symbols slowly morphed into English. He picked it up and squinted. But he figured it out and gasped.

_Staff of Osiris_, the tire iron read.

He glanced around and noticed that Victor's necklace was glowing, too. So was the gem in his pocket.

He slid the gem into the tire iron, and it glowed powerfully.

"Victor! Your necklace!" He shouted at the old man.

The old man glanced back at him. "Are you crazy, man?"

"Just trust me! One…two…"

Victor sighed and threw the necklace at Eddie. The falcons disappeared, and Victor fell to his knees, weak. Eddie narrowly caught the necklace and slipped it into the tire iron, along with the gem.

An explosion occurred, and Eddie almost fell back. But as soon as the smoke cleared, Eddie could clearly see a wide, blue staff in his hands.

Apophis turned his attention from Nina and Will. He grinned. "The staff…"

Eddie stood in a stance, the staff prepared to strike. "You want this? You're going to have to come and get it," He taunted the serpent.

The serpent raced towards Eddie, fangs flashing.

"Eddie, no!" Patricia cried.

Eddie turned to wink at her. He turned back, and just before Apophis attacked, he snapped the staff into half.

The remains of the staff fell to the ground.

"NOO!" Apophis roared in anger. He circled the remains, his scales growing redder with every second. "Do you know what you just did? You just unbalanced Ma'at! That means I'm—"

_BOOM._

Apophis' head exploded, and everyone screamed, covering their eyes.

Red slime—correction, Apophis' blood—covered the Guardians, Hayden, and Will.

Will stopped counting to a hundred and opened his eyes. "Is it over? What did I miss? What is this stuff?" He asked, wrinkling his nose.

One by one, they began to laugh. It was finally over.

"Peaceful retreat, my ass," Jerome whispered to Victor, slapping him on the back.

* * *

***Face palm* I feel like this chapter was rubbish. It was a bitch to write, too.**

**And this is the first chapter to only have one divider. Well, hot damn.**

**Well, you got your answers! Everything fit like a puzzle, right? It took a lot of planning to do this, so now I feel accomplished.**

**The next chapter will be the last full chapter of this story (I've had the sequel outlined for months!). After that, I'll be writing what I call a Marvel Epilogue. If you watch Marvel movies, you'll understand the pun.**

**The poll is still ongoing—and I'm not closing it until Patricia is five months pregnant. That's when she gets a very important ultrasound, which decides if the baby is a girl or boy.**

**See you later!**

**-Morgan, xoxo**


	19. Chapter 19: House of Forever

**Anything Could Happen**

**A/N: We did it, guys.**

**Chapter 19—House of Forever**

"Crazy day, huh?" Nina asked Will as she tucked him into bed.

Will smiled. "Yeah. This vacation was fun."

Nina raised an eyebrow. "How fun?"

Will furrowed his eyebrow. "Better than the vacation to Barcelona."

Nina laughed. "Yeah, that was a messed up trip."

"Only because you let Gwen go!" Will pouted.

Nina ruffled her son's curls. "Easy there, tiger. Do you understand what happened today?"

Will shook his head 'no'.

Nina laughed. "Me either. But that's life. We'll talk more about this later. Goodnight," She said, leaning over to kiss his forehead.

Will paused. "Mom, is that a ring on your finger?" He asked.

Nina almost forgot that Fabian popped the question earlier. She fiddled with the ring. "Um, Fabian proposed," She finally said, squeezing her eyes shut.

Will yawned. "It's about time," He said. He then further surprised her by pecking her on the forehead. "Goodnight, mommy."

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Goodnight, Will. I love you…Will?"

Will only snored in response, and she laughed before standing and quietly closing the door.

Fabian was waiting outside. He stood when he saw her. "Is Will okay?" He asked.

She nodded. "He noticed the ring."

His smile wavered. "Oh," He mumbled. "Listen, we don't have to do anything that Will isn't comfortable with. Will always comes first—"

Nina cut him off with a soft kiss. "Will is okay with it. And you complete our little family circle," She said. "You make me happy. You make Will happy."

Fabian grinned. "And you make me happy." Suddenly, he looked very shy. "W-would you like to spend the night with me?" He asked.

Nina looked down, and he began to stutter. "I-I mean, we don't have to—"

"We'll have to get used to sleeping in the same bed," She murmured, the gears in her head turning.

Fabian raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Move to New York with me," She blurted.

He gaped at her. "Wait, are you serious?"

Now, it was her turn to stutter. "I-I mean, it's completely fine if you want to stay in Arizona, though it would be strange—"

Now, it was his turn to kiss her. He pressed a finger to her lips. "You are my fiancée, right?" He huskily asked.

Nina nodded, suddenly speechless.

"So, it's only logical for us to move in, right? Only if you and Will are okay with it…"

She pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "Always…I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Jerome was sprawled across his bed, dressed only in his boxers. For once, he was actually exhausted and couldn't wait to go to sleep.

A knock sounded at his door, and he groaned. "Come in," He commanded, sitting up.

Mara peeked through the door and blushed. "Sorry, I can come back—"

Jerome smirked. "No, it's okay," He said, standing up. He didn't bother to make himself presentable.

Mara was beet-red, but she cleared her throat and entered the room fully. "Um, I have some news," She said.

Jerome gestured for her to take a seat at his computer chair, and he sat across from her. "What's wrong, Mars?" He asked.

Mara pushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "I got a new job position."

An unreadable emotion fleeted across his stony face before he regained his composure. "Oh?"

Mara nodded. "It's not in Seattle…it's actually in New York, Brooklyn to be precise."

Jerome smiled a little, but internally, he was doing a fucking happy dance. _Oh, yeah! Mara's moving to Brooklyn! Suck that—_

"Say hello to your new partner," She weakly said.

Jerome Clarke, a world-renowned detective and bastard, was actually speechless for the first time in his life. Only Mara Jaffray could make him feel this way. God, that woman was going to be the death of him. He remembered getting a call from Captain Moretz, saying he was getting a shadow/partner of sorts. He didn't actually think it would be Mara. "Mara? Are you—"

"I mean, I know! But I talked to the captain, and he agreed that my medical knowledge could help—"

"I don't need help!" He exploded. "I can do it myself! I don't want you getting hurt. My field of work is very dangerous."

Mara stood up, angry. "Really? You could do it yourself? Do you have eight years of schooling and a M.D?"

Jerome faltered. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Cut the crap, Clarke. I'm strong—I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. I don't need a macho man to protect me. And if you can't see that, well…screw yourself." And Mara strode out, her head held high.

* * *

Joy neatly packed her portfolio, along with a plane ticket. Someone knocked at her door, and she whirled around, covering the ticket with her folder.

Mick was behind her, a cute smile on his lips. "Hey," He said. "I guess this is goodbye," He awkwardly stated. "I've had fun—you know, these past three months."

"Me too," Joy coyly stated, pulling the ticket from her folder. She hid it behind her back.

He nodded to himself. "I—I'll see you later, Joy." He opened his arms for a hug before settling on a handshake.

Joy shook his hand, smiling at him. "See you later…"

And he turned, a frown taking the place of the small smile on his lips.

"—Mick! What time does your flight leave?"

Mick turned and glanced at his watch. "Noon—why?"

Joy displayed the ticket. "Hello, seat neighbor."

Mick squinted at the ticket before his eyes widened. "Holy shit, you're coming back—"

"To London, yes. I've accepted your sister's internship at her company," Joy smiled, ignoring whatever emotion flitted across Mick's face. Then, she looked down shyly. "I know this sounds silly, but…I'd love to start a relationship with you."

Mick grinned. "I would, too." Then, he held out his hand.

Joy ignored his hand, stood up on her tiptoes, grabbed Mick by the neck, and kissed him.

He kissed back, surprised. This was the first time a girl/woman kissed him first, not vice-versa. But damn—she was a good kisser.

Joy pulled back, her lips redder than usual. "That's what I've been trying to tell you," She panted, pressing her forehead against his.

"What?"

"That I'm in love with you," She whispered, connecting their lips again.

Mick pulled away and whispered, "I'm not in love you," He said, and her face fell. Then, he picked her chin up and pressed a simple kiss to her lips. "I _love_ you, princess," He finished, calling her by her nickname.

She smiled, remembering the time he gave her that nickname. "That's so much better," She sighed, contently. "And I love you—to the moon and back, meathead."

* * *

Hayden sat the table, drumming his fingers against the glass table. Finally, Nina appeared, running somewhat as she adjusted her dress and ran her hands through her messy locks.

Hayden smirked; the signs were there. Disheveled clothing, tangled locks, and the barely noticeable glow—she obviously had sex the previous night.

"Was it good?" He asked, taking a sip from his flask.

"Huh?" She asked, slightly panting. She took a seat, crossing her legs.

"The sex," He bluntly stated. "Was it good?" He slowly repeated.

Nina blushed before swatting his arm. "Shut the hell up."

"Do I need to replace the headboard?" He teased.

Nina leaned forward, a sultry look in her eyes. "And the dresser, the nightstand, the mirror, the closet door, the desk—"

Hayden sputtered. "You did what to my father's desk?"

Nina laughed. "I'm joking—we didn't break it…that much," She finished. "Okay, so what brings you here?"

"Well, I want to apologize for everything."

She giggled. "I think you need to apologize to my fiancé."

"Fia—damn, he moves fast," Hayden whistled. "Um, congrats, I guess."

"Thanks, I guess. Okay, so what's the second thing?"

"How did you know there was a second thing?"

"There's always a second thing with you, Hayden."

"…right on. Okay, so look at this." Hayden asked, sliding a picture towards Nina.

Nina inspected the picture. It was a younger Hayden, but he was completely different from the Hayden in front of her. This Hayden had his hair long and unkempt, but he still had the same coy smile. And a pretty girl was next to him. She was wearing a purplish black dress, and her medium brown hair was twisted into a braid. A sarcastic smile was on her face.

"Who is the girl?" She asked. "I don't recognize her from the sluts that visit your cabin every night."

Hayden laughed. "She's my high school sweetheart. Her name is Sophia Baizen. I need to find her. She was the greatest thing to ever happen to me, and after recent events, I think I need to cherish every waking moment with the love of my life, not some slut."

"Well, I commend you. But how are you going to find her?"

Hayden shrugged. "PI, maybe. But I want you to do something. I want to tell you a story—the story of how I met her. Could you write it so I could present it to her?"

"No offense, but why me? I mean, it's a romantic gift, but-"

Hayden cleared his throat. "As stated in _Living by the Shore_, aka your uber-popular book and Oscar-nominated movie, no one knows love like a writer."

Nina slowly nodded. "Okay, I'll help you, but how? You live a good hour drive away."

Hayden shrugged. "I have a small condo in the Upper East Side. We can meet up once a month."

Nina laughed. "I might have to take rain checks, though. My schedule is more packed than ever. But I think that's sweet, Hayden. I hope you find Sophia."

Hayden nodded. "And if Fabian gets jealous or whatever, I will completely understand—"

"No need," A voice spoke from the doorway, and they turned to see Fabian standing there.

Hayden attempted to smile. "Again, I'm sorry—"

"No, it's okay," He said, striding closer. He wrapped an arm around Nina's waist and pressed a small kiss to her forehead. "You actually brought us closer. And you're actually not that…bad of a guy."

Hayden smirked. "Damn straight. You're all right, too, I guess. Congrats on the engagement, by the way. I expect to be a groomsman."

Fabian laughed. "We'll see about that."

* * *

Alfie knocked on Katherine's door.

The brunette looked up, frightened. "Alfie, you came back—"

"I'm leaving," He cut her off.

Katherine's face fell. "What do you mean, Alfie?" Her voice cracked, and Alfie could see the impending tears prickling at her eyes.

"I'm not going back home. I'm touring America like a hippie."

Katherine harshly laughed. "Is it that alien shit?"

Alfie winced. "You see, that's why we can't work out. And I say this in the nicest way, but I'm glad we didn't get engaged. This relationship is too toxic. I used to think the bickering was normal. But you're a bully, Katherine. And I can't live on like this."

"No," Katherine shook her head, actually crying. The once steel Katherine was now a sinking mess. "No! Alfie, you can't do this to me! Listen to me!" She demanded, grabbing his face. She repeatedly kissed him before he pushed her away and held her by her wrists.

"Shh," Alfie whispered as the brunette blubbered. "Katherine, I'm ready to close this chapter in my life. You should, too. We had our time together, but…"

Katherine slapped him. Hard. "You selfish bastard!" She screamed.

Alfie rubbed his sore cheek before stepping away from Katherine. "I need to go. Don't look for me."

"What would your parents say? We were supposed to get married!"

"I need to go," He repeated, getting closer to the door. "Don't look for me."

"Of course I'm going to look for you—you're the love of my life!" She screamed, getting closer. She was throwing a tantrum, stomping like a five year old.

Alfie slipped away, hiking his backpack further on his shoulder. What he said was true. He was ending this chapter, whether Katherine liked it or not.

For once, he was able to make decisions for himself.

And it felt pretty damn good.

* * *

Amber sighed and closed the CNN app. "This is getting really bad," She said, rubbing her forehead.

Noel entered her room, carrying two glasses of lemonade. "What's getting bad?" He asked.

Amber ignored his question and pointed at one of the glasses. "Is that spiked with vodka?" She asked.

Noel grinned. "I was your bartender everyday for three months—of course it's spiked," He laughed, handing her the glass. "So, what's getting bad?"

Amber sighed. "My dowry—Prince Philippe is publicizing the scandal, even though he isn't supposed to. My family is forced to sell some of our most prized possessions and heirlooms to pay off the Grimaldis. But it might not be enough, especially if my father's stocks plummet anymore. My mother is trying to design clothes, but no one wants to buy her clothes anymore. I don't want to go home. I did this to them. I wanted to be a princess for five fucking minutes," Amber said, tears streaming out of her eyes. "And I risked my family's life for it. I'm such a selfish bitch."

Noel was quiet. "We all make mistakes," He began slowly. "But we learn from them. That's what life is. We aren't completely innocent. But we need to make it right."

Amber comprehended his words with a tiny frown. Then, she leaned up and kissed Noel. "Thank you," She breathed before her gaze fell among her packed luggage. "Hey, could you go and get me some water, please?"

Noel looked at her in concern. "Sure." He kissed her gently before getting up and walking downstairs.

Amber took an uneven breath before standing up on her shaky legs. She took a pen out of her pocket and scribbled something on her stationary. She placed it on the nightstand, before grabbing her medium-sized luggage. She glanced back at the room.

This room was the headquarters for her matchmaking business. This room was where she had meetings with her friends.

_Friends…_

For the first time in her life, she had friends.

And she was about to leave them.

With her head held high, Amber Millington strode out of the room. "I'm doing it for them," She whispered to herself before escaping out of the back door.

* * *

Juliana, Will, and Francis sat by the poolside. So far, they had spent the entire day in the pool, enjoying the last days of summer.

Due to Juliana and Francis moving to NY, the trio was enrolled in the same private school. The only different was that Francis and Juliana were on scholarships, which was such a rarity at a school filled with snobs. But Will promised to help them, even volunteering to be their own bulldog.

"This summer has been weird," Francis observed, picking at a mosquito bite. "I mean, I lost a mother and gained another mother in like a month. And your mother got engaged."

"Yup," Will agreed. "But it was the best summer for me. How about you?"

"After I—I mean, we got here, yeah," Juliana answered, blushed. "And it's not even over. My dad said I can join a gym in NY, so I can continue to train."

Will smiled. "That's cool, Juliana."

Francis wrapped arms around his sister and his best friend. "Best friends?" He asked.

"The best of friends," Juliana agreed.

"The Terrible Trio," Will interjected.

Francis rolled his eyes before he pushed Will into the pool. "We're not terrible, Will! Just you!"

Will laughed, shaking his curly mop. "Yeah, you're right!"

* * *

"Thank you. I look forward to seeing you on the 15th," Eddie spoke into his iPhone. "Goodbye."

Patricia propped herself up by her elbows. "The 15th, huh?" She teased.

Eddie smiled. August 15th just happened to be their wedding anniversary. "It was the only day available, babe. Those OB/GYN appointments are surprisingly at a demand. Why are some many people pregnant?" He complained.

"Because the world needs to go on," Patricia replied. "Come here," She said, gesturing to the bed.

Eddie jumped into the bed like a five year old, and the two just sat there, with each other in their arms.

"Can you believe how much our lives have changed in three months?" Eddie marveled. "I got my marriage back, my kids, and a new kid on the way. How amazing is that? Patricia?"

"…why didn't you leave me?" She asked. "When our marriage was bad—why didn't you walk out of that door without a backwards glance?"

Eddie knew it was her hormones speaking, so he treaded carefully. "I knew we could improve. I still felt that spark—you know what I'm talking about."

Patricia smiled softly. "The one when we were on our fifth date?"

Eddie nodded. "Yeah—that heat and passion. That's when I knew I could never leave this woman. Even if she threw me out or threatened me with a knife."

Patricia laughed heartily. "I would never threaten you with a knife…we use knives to eat, and a dagger is so much better."

Eddie chuckled. "Only you, Trixie. And I love you…and you," He said, kissing her forehead and her stomach.

Patricia touched her baby bump. "I think he/she just…fluttered," She said.

"Don't you mean kicked?"

Patricia shook her head. "No. It was like a little...I don't know. I can't explain it. I guess he/she loves you. And so do I. So, join the club!" She said, poking her stomach.

Eddie gently caressed her face. "I guess we have to thank Amber. Where is she, anyways? She hasn't interrupted us in almost an hour."

"I don't know, but I'm going to find her," Patricia said, slowly getting up. Eddie was shadowing her movements, making sure that she wasn't going to suddenly fall.

"I got it, you asshole," She muttered, sliding her swollen feet into some slippers. Together, they journeyed down the hall to Amber's room.

Noel was staring at a tiny sheet of paper, his face pale.

"Noel, what's wrong?" Patricia asked, touching his arm.

He jerked, as if he were in a trance. He silently handed her the note.

Patricia's eyes widened. Shocked, she stumbled, but Eddie caught her. Sobs racked her body as she read the note.

_Went back to Philippe. I'm done with ruining lives and being selfish. Tell my mum and dad that I love them._

_I love you guys. These three months have literally made me a better person. I've enjoyed every second. Hopefully, I'll see you in the future._

_-Amber_

"She's gone…"

"It's my fault!" Noel shouted, running a hand through his reddish-brown hair. He kicked the table. "Damnnit!"

"We need to find her," Patricia whispered.

* * *

Jerome arrived at Mara's door, a cue card in hand. He took a deep breath. "Okay, apology. I'm sorry, Mara, for the way I treated you. To make it up to you, I'll…oh, god, just go in!" And he opened the door. "Mara, we need to—"

The room was bare, except for the bed and dressers. Even her suitcases and books were gone.

Jerome's eyes widened. _Did she really leave me? _He quickly surveyed the area. Only a single note was left.

_The day where __**y**__ou __**k**__idnapped m__**e**_

"The day I kidnapped you?" He repeated over. "YKE? What the hell does that mean?"

He couldn't believe that Mara was playing with him, but he just played along.

He paced, trying to come up with combinations. "EKY? Electrical K—no, was is it?" Jerome asked. Then, he chuckled. "Clever, Mara."

_Key_, it spelled. It all made sense, now. Jerome had "kidnapped" Mara to go on a run, and they found a key on the trails.

Faster than he could say gotcha, he headed outside and towards the trails. He walked, mumbling to himself and trying to remember exactly where they had discovered the key.

He leaned against the tree, frustrated. He was about to give up when…

"Did it really take you that long?" Mara teased from behind another tree.

Jerome turned around in surprise.

"You actually passed this tree by about five times," Mara clarified, brushing off her pants.

"Mara," He sputtered. "Listen, I—"

"I don't know how to be a great detective," Mara confessed. "But that's what partnerships are for: working together and discovering new things about each other. Growing as a couple."

Jerome smiled, caressing her face. "You're so right. I want to learn more about you. You're like one of those mystery novels. No matter how many times I read you, I notice a new fact every day."

"Since when did you get so…mushy?" She questioned, linking their hands together as they began to walk.

Jerome pressed a discreet kiss to her hand. "Since…I took a crash course in romance," He admitted. "So, what do you say? Partners?"

"In crime and life," She grinned.

He was gripping her face now, and she was standing on her tiptoes, anticipating the moment their lips connected.

And when their lips connected, it was truly awesome. Sparks erupted, making their toes curl. They gripped each other harder, feeling each other as if they were going to disappear.

"I'll be your Castle to your Beckett," She whispered against his lips before they kissed again.

* * *

"I can't believe Amber went back to Philippe," Nina said.

They (and Will) were the only people in the cabin since the others left early to look for Amber and return home. Nina and Fabian volunteered to lock up, soaking in the last moments of summer.

"I know—but I kind of get where she's coming from. You didn't want anyone else to suffer."

"But I could have helped," Nina said, accepting the drink from him. "Thanks," She whispered.

"So, do you think what we did was right?" Fabian asked, sitting next to her.

Nina sighed. "Well, my life isn't exactly normal. When we get back into the city, it's back to the paparazzi following me around like crazy. So, announcing our engagement is for the best—"

"Yeah, I completely get it. It's just…speaking of getting back to the city, I got a call from Arizona a few hours ago. Um…Gerald is retiring, and he wants me to take ownership of the company."

Nina looked genuinely surprised. "Oh, that's amazing! So…"

"I have to go to Arizona for a few weeks and sort out business…because I'm moving the company to NYC!"

Nina squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh, that's great! I'm so happy for you!"

"Are you sure you're not mad at me going away for a few weeks?"

"No, no, I'm not a clingy fiancée!" She laughed. "And I'll be fine—I have a kid to take care of, a pregnant and hormonal friend, and a book proposal to finish. That's more than enough to deal with!"

He laughed and kissed her deeply.

Their moment was ruined when the doorbell rang.

"We could just let it ring," He whispered against her lips before trailing off to her neck.

Nina moaned. "But it could be Amber…" She said before sneaking out of his grasp. She opened the door.

But she didn't expect to see Gwen behind that door, wringing her hands nervously.

"Gwen?" She asked, shocked.

Gwen looked up, relief flitting across her face. "Oh, thank God. You didn't leave yet." And she let herself in. "I have bad news—is this him?" She pointed to Fabian. "Never mind…I have bad news. Here." Gwen handed Nina an envelope.

Curiously, she opened it. She scanned the letter. She gasped. "Oh, shit," She cursed before dropping the letter. She fell back onto the couch and rubbed her forehead. Tears began to stream down her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, rubbing her shoulders.

Gwen crossed her arms. "That douchebag, Rob, is trying to take custody of Will away from Nina."

"This cannot be happening," Nina murmured as she leaned against Fabian.

* * *

**Damn! Talk about a cliffhanger!**

**I'd like to talk everyone for reading and reviewing ACH. This story has been the bright spot in the raging ocean (aka, my life), and you guys are so patient and loving, like a real family. You are my family—well, my digital family. You have seriously upped my confidence and self-esteem. So, you've saved a life here. *pats you on the back and smiles like a politician* ****I love you guys. *cue Whitney Houston ballad* I love interacting with you, and I smile whenever I see a new message from a fan. Thank you for simply being you.**

**The poll is still going on. So, vote!**

**Um, the sequel will be uploaded in a few weeks. I've had the sequel outlined for months (I keep changing and rewriting every day!), so it should be amazing! I'm changing how I name the chapters (just for **_**Only You**_**). Instead, I'm taking a cue from Gossip Girl and Bunheads. The title will be relevant to the chapter, like a quote, song title, or phrase. For example, a chapter could be named, **_**"The Imperial Bitch"**_**, or something else witty. **

**In a few days, the Marvel Epilogue will be uploaded. It's already written, and it gives a sneak peek at the obstacles our favorite characters have to face in the sequel.**

**See you in a few days!**

**P.S. It's my brother's birthday on the 17th. Just a little fun fact!**

**P.S.S.: I'm having burgers tonight! :) I'm so happy about that!**

**-Morgan, xoxo**


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